by Cora Seton
For just a moment, he stood over her, wishing he had the right to claim her. The only thing that bothered him were the bruises he saw and they were still prominently visible. He vowed at that moment to protect her. Damien Wade would never lay a hand on her again. He didn’t tug down her shirt, but he did pull the sheet up and over her. And to satisfy himself, he leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”
Only then did he look at his pager. “Hell!” he whispered. There was a wreck out on FM 32 and they needed the ‘jaws of life’ to extract some of the victims. He only took time to use the bathroom, a shower would have to wait. At least he was still dressed. Grabbing his keys, he headed out the door.
*
An hour and a half later, Makenna awoke to the ringing of a telephone—an insistent ringing of a telephone. Startled, she called out for Titan, but there was no answer. Thinking it could be an emergency, she got up and padded out of the room till she found a landline phone in a place that appeared to be his study. There was a neat desk and a bookshelf filled with journals of some sort. “Hello, Sloan residence.”
“Who the hell is this?” a shrill female voice screamed in her ear.
The caller’s attitude didn’t exactly encourage Makenna to be forthcoming with information. “Who is this?” she asked right back.
“This is Tammie Woods. You tell that fickle son-of-a-bitch Titan Sloan that he stood me up for our date last night. I don’t put up with crap like that. If he wants to see me again, he’ll have to learn some manners. I don’t know who you are, but I hope you were worth it—because he sure as hell missed out on a hot time with me!”
“I’ll let him know,” Makenna spoke calmly. Before she hung up, a little streak of rebellion took over. “And I was worth it, by the way.”
“Who is this?”
“Makenna Wade.” Makenna didn’t know why she was being so open, but she didn’t like this woman’s attitude at all.
“Listen here, you little bitch.” Tammie’s voice dripped with venom. “Titan Sloan is mine. Our lands join. It’s a logical, foregone conclusion that we’ll get married. And you, you little slut—you have a husband! Damien Wade is my friend. We went to school together. I can’t believe you’re cheating on him!”
Makenna disconnected the call. She held the receiver in her hand, staring at it as if it was a snake. She didn’t know what upset her more—the fact the woman called her names and defended Wade or the fact Titan had missed a date the night before.
The date won out.
Titan was seeing someone! He wasn’t free. A sense of hurt and panic flooded her system and she felt weak. “I’ve got to get out of here.” Jealousy rose in her heart so thick and fast that Makenna felt like she would choke from it.
As she dashed back to the room where she’d slept, Makenna looked and listened for Titan. Hearing nothing, she surmised he wasn’t at home and realized that was probably a good thing. She was so angry and confused. Frankly, she didn’t know what she would say to him when she did see him.
Wanting to leave as soon as possible, Makenna didn’t bother to shower. She decided to do that back at her own house. Dressing quickly, she remembered she didn’t have her car. No matter, she wanted to leave badly enough to walk home. Cutting through the pasture again, she dodged cattle and jumped over piles of underbrush. When she recalled Titan saying Damien had come this way the night before, she couldn’t help but hug herself, blocking chills of apprehension.
Once she arrived home, Makenna felt odd going into the place where Damien had hurt her, knowing he was sitting in a jail for what he’d done. She tried to rustle up a hint of remorse, but she couldn’t. Her husband deserved whatever punishment would be meted out to him.
After she showered, Makenna slipped on a pair of jeans and a camisole. Her heart still felt sore. She was being foolish. What had she expected? Titan was a handsome single man with a full life. He hadn’t been sitting around pining for her. She owed him a huge debt of gratitude and he owed her…nothing. Determined to get herself together, she went downstairs and found a granola bar to stave off her hunger. Today was the day she took her life back. She needed to contact a lawyer and get divorce proceedings started. The only problem was—she kept looking over her shoulder. There was no way she was going to be able to stay in this house, not for a while. There were just too many memories and none of them good.
Her mind turned to Allie. She needed to check on her. Before Damien had hauled her out of the hospital, the doctor had said they weren’t keeping her. Makenna had been ashamed she couldn’t invite Allie into their home. She could see the expectation in her friend’s face as she’d waited for the invitation that didn’t come. Hopefully, she’d found someone to stay with. Makenna knew she had cousins who lived close by. Now, however, since the cat was out of the bag, she could explain and ask for forgiveness. To see her best friend come so near death had scared Makenna witless. And to suspect it was her own husband who’d done the deed was horrifying. How would Allie react when she learned the truth? Maybe they could find someplace to stay together for a while. Yes, that’s what she would do. Feeling better about at least having a plan, Makenna found her car keys and her phone. After pressing a few buttons, she waited for Allie to answer.
*
Meanwhile…Titan sat on the tailgate of his truck, staring down at the ground. If he wasn’t a grown-ass man, he’d break down and cry. Stoic, he let the horror wash over him. The wreck he’d just worked involved children. Children who weren’t wearing their seatbelts. Why in the world a parent would ever place their babies in a vehicle unprotected was a mystery to him. Saving people was the grandest thing in the world, but pulling little lifeless bodies from twisted metal sucked.
“Big Man, you gonna be all right?”
Maverick came over to him, handing Titan a bottle of water. Yea, he had a reputation of taking things to heart. Titan didn’t care. When one couldn’t feel pain for someone else, they might as well be dead. That was one of the reasons Makenna’s situation tore him up, that and the fact he was head over heels in love with her. “Yea, I’m just resting. I’ve got to head home. There’s nothing else we can do here.” The EMTs were loading up and a wrecker was coming for the crumpled car. A mother and one of the children had survived. Three other of the little ones weren’t so lucky.
He sat for a few minutes longer with his friend, not saying much. What was there to say at a time like this? In a while, he headed home. At least there was someone there waiting for him today. That thought brought a smile to his face.
But when he got there, Makenna was gone.
Worried, he didn’t even hesitate. Titan crawled back in his truck and headed to the Wade place. When he arrived, he could see Makenna was walking to her car with a suitcase in hand. Okay. Maybe she just wanted to get some clothes and she was on her way back to Skyview. One thing for certain, he didn’t want her to be alone.
Pulling up beside her, Titan rolled down his window. “What’s up, beautiful? Did you come to get more clothes?” She looked perfect in a pretty pink top and curve-hugging jeans.
Makenna set down her case and came over to the driver’s side of his truck, staring at him through the open glass. “I want to thank you for what you did, Titan. I owe you. But I don’t think staying with you is such a good idea.”
Disappointment hit him like a tidal wave. “Why?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she held his gaze. She was so cute, Titan was tempted to grab his phone and take a picture, just so he could look at it later. Instead of coming right out and answering him, she asked him a question. “Why didn’t you tell me about her?”
For a second or two, Titan thought about what she was saying. He came up blank. “Who? What are—”
She didn’t give him a chance to continue. “Never mind. Allie’s having a trailer moved in next to her house and I think I’ll spend a few days with her, help her sort things out.”
Titan still didn’t like it. “Okay. But you have to
at least let me know you’re all right.” Hell, he sounded lame. He felt helpless, feeling her slipping through his fingers. Makenna looked devastated and he didn’t know what to do or say. “I’m sorry about your friend and her house,” he said slowly. “We tried to save as much of it as we could.”
Her face softened. “She said her neighbors told her you saved her life.”
“It’s my job.” His voice was low, uncertain. Bottom line, he wanted her to go home with him where she belonged.
“Why didn’t you tell me about her?” She repeated the question.
“I’m sorry, baby.” Titan apologized. “After you were hurt, I didn’t think about checking on Miss Langston.”
“No.” Makenna waved her hand in the air in exasperation. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a date with Tammie Woods?”
Zing! Bam! That was what he’d forgotten.
Makenna wasn’t through. “You’re seeing someone and there I was in your bed, spending the night in your home and you—”
Titan wanted to smile. The little minx was jealous. Now, this he knew how to handle. While she was still fussing, he opened his truck door and stepped out beside her. “Hold on, honey.” She was so tiny, he just wanted to put her in his pocket and keep her close. “You need to understand something.”
“What’s that?” Makenna stopped to catch her breath.
“The reason I didn’t tell you about Tammie or details about Allie was…” He lifted her chin with one finger. “Compared to you, they didn’t seem important. I was too worried, too busy taking care of you to think about the house fire or to worry about some date that I never wanted to go on in the first place.”
“Well.” Makenna chewed on her lower lip. Talk about having the right answer. She didn’t even know what to say. “Okay. But I think I still need to go stay with Allie. I have a lot to do. I need to file for a divorce and I don’t think—”
“It wouldn’t look right if you were staying with me, I understand.” Titan pushed a lock of hair out of her face. “I tell you what. Let’s make a deal. You go now and you call me if you need the least little thing.” She started to speak and he put a big finger over her lips, wanting to finish. “I think we could have something special, but I’ll give you time.” Tenderly, he kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll wait for you.”
Makenna couldn’t answer. He’d just stolen her ability to breathe.
Chapter Five
‡
Three days passed in a whirlwind of activity. An attorney in Wimberley started her divorce proceedings. He’d assured her they would be expedited. In cases like this, they made exceptions for extenuating circumstances—like abuse. She’d feel better about everything once she was a free woman.
To say Allie had been flabbergasted when Makenna told her the truth about everything was an understatement. Her friend had held her as she cried about her sham of a marriage and the abuse she’d endured. When Makenna confessed she suspected her husband started the fire, Allie hadn’t batted an eye. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. The most important thing is that you’re safe now. Houses can be replaced.” They’d already begun cleaning things up and making repairs. In the evenings, the girls went to Makenna’s house and cleaned out Damien’s things, taking them to Goodwill. He wouldn’t be needing his clothes. Hopefully he’d be wearing an orange jumpsuit for a long time.
No matter what else was going on, the main thing on Makenna’s mind was Titan. He’d said he was waiting on her. The ball was in her court. In her mind, she envisioned their next meeting a dozen different ways. Everything from, ‘Well, here I am. I’ve come to jump your bones,’ to, ‘Titan, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.’
For the short time they were together, it seemed he wanted more than just sex. He said he thought they could have something special. Maybe she was reading more into this than there was, but her imagination was going crazy. She envisioned walking down the aisle to him wearing a wedding dress and white cowboy boots. The very idea made her smile. Damien envisioned himself to be too sophisticated for western wear, and Makenna agreed he could never pull it off. Titan, however, was a western wet-dream. You never saw him without his jeans, hat and boots. So, when she’d day-dreamed about marrying him, her ensemble always included white cowboy boots.
“What am I going to do?” she whispered under her breath as they stood in line to buy paint at the hardware store.
“What did you say?” Allie leaned over. Her arms were full of paint rollers and tape.
“Nothing, just worrying out loud.” She was just going to have to put on her big girl panties and track him down. He might not be proposing marriage, but Makenna felt she owed herself the opportunity to see where this led. Titan wanted to see her, he wanted to be with her. What sane woman would turn him down?
“Look, it’s her.”
Makenna heard the whisper, but she didn’t think anything about it.
“That’s Makenna Wade, Damien’s wife. She said he beat her up. Doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with her to me.”
The two older women’s voices were carrying. Makenna stared at her shoes, trying to ignore them.
“I heard she’s not quite right, you know…mentally. I bet she did something to herself and is just blaming him. We know he’s a good man. We’ve known Damien all of his life. Why, I heard she’s been in a psychiatric facility and now he’s in jail because of her!”
By the time the woman had said the last two words, Makenna’s face was flaming and Allie was just about to go confront them when Jericho walked up to them. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Those women over there are talking trash about Makenna,” Allie said, loud enough for the ladies to hear.
For all the years Makenna had lived here in this quaint little town on the banks of the Blanco River, folks had always been friendly. They made a lot of their money off the tourist dollar, and the town square and surrounding streets were full of specialty shops—everything from homemade quilts to gemstone jewelry. You could buy wine-a-ritas at one place and breakfast tacos at another. This was a haven for artists, people who loved the outdoors and those who wanted to be in the country, yet close enough to go into the city for dinner if they wanted. She thought, despite Damien, she’d found a place to call home. To have this happen just devastated her. “Allie, it’s okay, they’re just repeating what Damien told them.” The town’s golden boy had a sterling reputation and she was the outsider.
“Don’t pay any attention, Makenna.” Jericho put his arm around her. “Titan told us what happened.”
“Thank you.” Makenna was mortified. Damien enjoyed painting a picture of her that made people question her good sense, her judgment. But she hadn’t known people would listen or would care. Pity no one ever asked her what the therapy and treatments had been for—they might’ve been surprised.
“Some friends and I are hosting a party tonight over on Canyon Lake. Why don’t you two come?”
Makenna was about to make an excuse when Allie piped up. “Great, we’ll need a break by then. What can we bring?” Allie gave the snoopy women who had finished checking out a saccharine sweet smile.
“Just bring yourselves and a couple of wild bikinis.” He winked at them, writing down the address to his friend’s house on a slip of paper. “We’ll start up about eight or so.”
“Sounds good,” Makenna answered with mixed feelings. It had been years since she’d been to a party other than the ones with Damien where he wouldn’t let her dance or speak to anyone unless he was within earshot. He’d always been afraid she’d reveal his true character.
Before Jericho left, he put his arm around Makenna. “I’m so sorry about what happened. If I’d had any idea, I would’ve put a stop to that crap.” She nodded and he continued. “I don’t know if you remember, but tonight is our scheduled fire department meeting. Are you coming?”
“What about your party?” She was stalling. She’d known the meeting was today. Would they even want her there?
/> “The meeting won’t last long, it never does. We might be a minute or two late for the party, but that won’t make any difference. You are coming, aren’t you? We need you, you know.”
Makenna thought for a minute. “Do you think everyone will still want me to be secretary?”
“I most certainly do,” he assured her. “We’re planning on asking Titan to be our new chief. We need the community to know we’re still in business and working to make sure they’re safe.”
She blushed, knowing it was her idiot of a husband who had caused all of these problems. “Titan will be a great Fire Chief.”
“So you’ll come? To both?”
“I’ll be there,” she promised.
As he moved off, Allie sighed. “I think I’m in love. He’s so hot!”
“That’s why they call him Hotshot.” She wrapped her arm around her friend’s neck as they giggled, feeling more light-hearted than she had in a long time. Yea, a few people thought she was crazy—but that was fine. Maybe she was.
The rest of the day passed quickly, perhaps because she was so anxious to go to the VFD meeting. Anxious to see Titan was closer to the truth. Makenna glanced at the clock. She didn’t want to be late and she didn’t want to be early. Would she be brave enough to tell him how she felt? And what would she wear? Having nothing in her wardrobe she thought would do, Allie loaned her a tight pair of dress blue jeans and a baby blue camisole with a lace Western-cut shirt to wear over it.
There’d never been anything even remotely formal about the meetings. Most of the men came straight from work, some with grease on their clothes and some needing a bath and a change of clothes. None of that mattered, for all knew the reason they were there. As a poster hung on the wall said, We Walk Where the Devil Dances, while another declared, Not Because I Can But Because of Who I Am. Their purpose was greater than any hardship they faced.
“Hey, how’s this for the party?” When Allie handed her a white swimsuit, Makenna blushed.
