by T. L. Haddix
“If Caleb’s here and free, I’d like to take him to lunch,” Amelia had said, smiling.
“I’ll check for you,” Brooke told her with a polite smile that felt frozen. She’d just stood to go find him when he appeared at the window, file in hand.
“Pip! Hey, what brings you to town? Come on in.” He wrapped her in a bear hug when she met him in the hall. “Did you meet Brooke?”
The introductions were chaotic as the phone rang, a client was leaving, and another was coming in the door. By the time Brooke was able to catch her breath and look up, Caleb and Amelia were gone. Her own lunchtime was approaching, and she hoped that by the time she got back to the clinic after eating, the too-pretty blonde would be gone.
Instead, when Brooke came down the hall and into the office, she saw that Amelia was waiting in the reception area.
Brooke cursed silently. “Did you need Dr. Walker again?”
Amelia propped her elbows on the counter and studied Brooke with curiosity. “No, I wanted to talk to you. We didn’t get properly introduced earlier. I’m Amelia, Caleb’s cousin.” She held out a hand. “Please tell me you’re single.”
Blinking fast, her hand in Amelia’s, Brooke stared at her. “I… what?”
The other woman dissolved into laughter, albeit quietly, and waved a hand in front of her face. “Oh, goodness. I’m not hitting on you, I promise. I didn’t think of how that would sound. It’s just that I… I tend to pair people up, and I have someone in mind that I’d love to see you with.”
Brooke laughed, her dislike mostly fading now that she knew Amelia wasn’t Caleb’s girlfriend or lover. “You don’t even know me.”
“Caleb does. And for some reason, you’re all he could talk about through lunch, though I doubt he realizes how much that revealed,” Amelia said, then pursed her lips and waggled her eyebrows. “How do you get away with calling him by his name, by the way? He told me about that.”
This time, Brooke’s grin was full of mischief as she touched her braided hair somewhat self-consciously. “It annoys the snot out of him. I have to call him Dr. Walker in front of clients since we are expected to be professionals here,” she confided in a low voice. “And we do get along well when he forgets he’s supposed to be irritated by me. But I don’t have two older brothers for nothing. I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity when I saw how much he hated it.”
Amelia wrinkled her nose. “I totally understand. I have two brothers myself. But what did he do to deserve such a heinous treatment?” She winked, belying the seriousness of her question.
To Brooke’s dismay, the answer brought on a bit of painful chagrin. “When I first started working here, he thought I was a pretty face who answered the phones and dressed up the reception area, filing my nails as I passed the time between my debutante duties. See, my father…” She eyed Amelia closely. “How much do you know about Gene?” If Amelia was as close to Caleb as she appeared, she’d know immediately who the man was.
Lips tight, Amelia gave a short shake of her head. “I know he’s a first-class rotten egg who somehow managed to produce a first-class, genuinely good man as a son, probably due largely to the fact that he abandoned him early on.”
Brooke nodded. “Yes. And Caleb is a good man, if somewhat stubborn. Anyhow, my father is the judge who sentenced Gene to prison. And… I didn’t realize that when I started working here. So things were a bit awkward at first. Caleb wasn’t Mr. Friendly—still isn’t, truth be told, though he’s mellowed somewhat—and my little-sister instinct rose up. He still tends to think I’m a princess, even though he knows I have a brain in my head now, and I’m determined to annoy the snot out of him.”
“Mm. Good for you. He’s better than that, you know, thinking you’re a princess.” Amelia’s eyes showed disapproval and some measure of sadness. “It’s probably a defense mechanism. Aside from finding him annoying, how do you like him?”
Thank goodness the phone rang and saved her from having to answer. Then two more calls came in, as well as the one o’clock grooming appointment. But Amelia was still there when Brooke was clear, and to Brooke’s consternation, she was wearing a satisfied grin.
“You know, your face turned all kinds of shades of red when I asked that. Dare I take those blushes to mean you don’t think he’s a troll?”
Groaning, Brooke buried said face—which felt as if it were on fire—in her hands. “I hate being so pale. Truly, it’s a curse. Why should I trust you? How do I know he didn’t put you up to this? The man doesn’t have any sisters, but I swear to you, he has a brother’s instinct to tease.”
Amelia laughed then let out a breath. “I don’t tell everyone this, and I’ll deny it if you repeat it, but I have this… thing. I get a certain feeling around people who are interested in one another. And you two nearly lit up the room. Caleb is a good man, and I’d like to see him happy. I know he doesn’t think he deserves happiness,” she said softly. “And any woman who has the ability to annoy a man simply by calling him by his name… well. He needs a good shake-up now and then. Like I said, he didn’t stop talking about you the whole time we had lunch. So… are you in?”
Brooke hadn’t grown up as the daughter of a judge, with a mother who was a successful attorney, without learning a bit about reading people. Nothing she’d seen from Amelia Campbell set off her alarm bells. Amelia appeared as genuine as she was friendly.
So Brooke took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “I don’t want to lose my job or get him in trouble. But I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing where things led if I met the man on the street. That’s all the answer I can give you.” All the answer she was willing to give. Inside, she was screaming yes at the top of her lungs. Ever since she’d met Caleb, she’d had the biggest crush on the man. That she was twenty-four years old and so besotted was pathetic.
Her answer seemed to satisfy Amelia though. “In that case, I’ll see what I can come up with. I’ll be in town for a few weeks. I’m staying with my grandmother and her husband, Eli. He’s Caleb’s adopted grandfather, sort of. It’s a complicated mess of a family tree. Anyhow, I’m absolutely certain I can get their cooperation. We just have to figure out how to arrange things so that Caleb doesn’t suspect he’s being set up.”
With the phone once again ringing off the hook, Amelia headed out the door with a wave and the promise to call.
Brooke hadn’t heard anything from her for several days and had started thinking maybe she’d been wrong about the other woman after all. But then, Saturday morning, the phone had rung, and Amelia had invited her to the party.
“I know it’s short notice, and I’m so sorry about that, but with the snow we just had, no one knew for sure we’d be having this party until the last minute. Can you come? You don’t have to bring a gift.”
Brooke didn’t let herself think her way out of the invitation. “I’d love to. What time and where?”
She’d been getting ready to walk out the door that afternoon when the screech of brakes had changed everything.
Now, standing in front of her closet as she searched in the back for a particular dress, she sighed. “What are you thinking, even considering going to him?”
She couldn’t figure that out, even as she found the soft, electric-blue wool dress that dipped low in front and in back and laid it on the bed. At the dresser, she pulled out a corset-style strapless bra that wouldn’t quite be hidden under her clothing. After a moment’s consideration, she added a garter belt and thigh-highs but decided, with a somewhat self-deprecating laugh, to forego panties.
“Go big or go home, right?”
It had been a while since Brooke had been in a sexual relationship, but donning what she thought of as her seduction gear felt natural. Her last boyfriend had liked it when she dressed up for him, and even though they’d gone their separate ways almost two years ago, she still liked to dress up for herself.
“I
f your coworkers knew what you wore under those demure sweaters and skirts, you’d be branded a harlot,” she told her reflection.
Despite the fact that she was a college graduate with a degree in business administration, Brooke had never had the kind of self-assuredness the rest of her family carried in spades. She was the daughter of two successful, driven parents and the younger sister of two competitive men who were successes in their own fields, but she’d never been driven to build a career and a life the way they had. That was partly why she still lived at home.
But wearing the provocative undergarments gave her a sense of confidence, something she sorely needed. She was, not to put too fine a point on it, good at sex even if she didn’t have very much of it. And when she went out to face the world knowing that underneath her quiet, conservative clothing was a sex goddess? That made it possible for her to get through the day and fool people into thinking she was more confident than she was.
If she did show up at Caleb’s door tonight, she really didn’t expect that he would be open to her in a sexual or romantic way. He might invite her in, a little confused about her presence at his home, and he’d probably offer her impatient sympathy. If that was the case, then she’d accept his politeness and slink away, tail between her legs. He’d never have to know she’d geared herself up for seduction.
“Mother of… what if he has a girlfriend?” She cringed at the thought. She didn’t think he was involved with anyone, but she could have been wrong.
“If he does, if there’s another car, I’ll just keep driving.” The problem with that was that he lived at the end of a dead-end road in Spring Valley, a little enclave just outside London.
“I’ll wing it when I get there,” she said, making a quick stop in the bathroom for her nightly birth control pill. She also grabbed a handful of condoms from the box she’d purchased a few months back just to have on hand, snorting as she put them in her purse. “Be honest, Brooke. You bought ‘em after you started working at the clinic and saw how yummy Caleb was.”
Right now, she needed to feel attractive and needed and wanted, and if the person making her feel that way happened to be the guy she’d had a crush on for months, all the better. Even if it was temporary.
As she left the house, the sadness she felt at losing Belle rose up to mix with her sadness from knowing Caleb Walker wasn’t a permanent relationship kind of guy. She’d already accepted that, had known it even when she agreed to Amelia’s plan. But maybe they could be something to each other for a night or two, and if she ended up leaving the clinic when it was over, so be it. She’d find something else, and her heart would mend eventually as well.
Chapter Three
Walker was taking a break from his current remodeling project and working his way through his second beer when he happened to glance outside and see headlights at the end of his driveway. “What in the world?”
As he watched, the vehicle stopped and sat there for what felt like an hour, then it slowly started up the slight incline. A shiver of instinct raised the hair on the back of his neck, and he moved swiftly to get a handgun from the secure table in the living room. After all, he lived at the end of the road in the middle of nowhere, even if it was only ten minutes to town, and it never paid to be too careful. Knowing he was invisible in the darkened hallway, he watched them through the half moon of glass at the top of the front door.
When his visitor parked and got out, he growled and let his head fall against the metal door. He put the gun back then hurried to unlock the door. There was no weapon in the world that would keep him safe from this intruder, so he might as well let her in.
“Brooke, is everything okay?”
“Yes, just fine,” she said with a shy smile. “I know it’s late and it’s an imposition, but I was in the neighborhood and I wanted to stop and thank you in person for what you did today.”
“In the neighborhood?” Walker lifted an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at the black-as-pitch countryside.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Yes.”
He made a face back, using the time to gather his senses. With chocolate-brown hair falling softly around her shoulders and, of all things, a black trench coat belted tightly at her waist, she was the picture of pure temptation. He never saw her with her hair down as she always wore it up at work, and the sight hit him like a gut punch. He’d always been a sucker for long hair, and he was especially fond of brunettes.
“Come on in.” He held the door open. “But you don’t have to thank me. I don’t feel like I did anything today. Certainly not what I wanted to do. How’s your dad?”
She gave a little shrug as she looked around the hall somewhat timidly. “He’s coping. He left a little while ago to visit a friend, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I took a drive.” She moved her hands apart in a wide gesture then clasped them in front of her.
Walker knew from listening to gossip that her father was involved with a local doctor and had been for some time. “Do you think he and Dr. Jeanette are ever going to go public?”
Brooke laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear nervously, seeming relieved by the subject. “You know, I don’t know. I wish they would. They make each other happy. I think he’s still holding on to Mom’s memory though, and he’s not ready to make that move even though Jeanette’s a lovely woman.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m interrupting your evening. I shouldn’t have come.”
“You’re interrupting my consideration of what piece of drywall to tear out next. Want the nickel tour? And a beverage, adult or otherwise?” He grabbed his half-finished beer from the crate that served as a hall table.
“I could do a beer, thanks.” She followed him into the kitchen, looking around with open curiosity. “How long have you lived here?”
“Since I got out of vet school. It was a graduation present of sorts from Trent and Cora. They split five acres and this house off from their place. The house was in rough shape, just a shell that never was finished, but it was still a generous gift.”
“I’ll say. How much of this work is yours?” She thanked him for the cold beer and gestured around the kitchen.
Walker laughed, looking at the bare walls. “I put up the drywall and the fixtures. One of Trent’s sons, Theo, is an electrician. Between us, we knew enough plumbing to get that and the electric installed. I’ve not had much time to work on anything else. It’s still a pretty blank canvas as far as that goes.”
Brooke nodded sagely. “Kitchen cabinets would help,” she said, completely deadpan. Then a laugh bubbled up, escaping more and more as she struggled to keep a straight face.
Stepping toward her, he tapped the end of her nose. “I don’t need cabinets, seeing as how I can’t cook.”
“I’ve heard you say that at work, but I thought you were kidding. How do you survive?”
“Takeout and the generosity of my mom, Cora.”
Brooke’s smile was soft. “You love them very much, don’t you?”
Walker huffed. “That’s girly talk. Come on. Let’s finish the tour.”
She saluted him as he started down the hall. “By all means, sir. Lead on.”
“Impertinent.”
“Yes, Caleb.” She grinned, full of sass.
It was all he could do not to kiss the daylights out of her. “So here’s the wall that I’m debating on removing. We boxed this in as a guest room, but I don’t use it except for storage. I’m thinking it might be nice to have a bigger bedroom.”
Brooke joined him in the small room, staring at the wall with a frown of concentration. “Bigger bedrooms are always good to have.” She took a delicate sip of the beer, not quite hiding her grimace as she swallowed.
Walker stared at her in amazement. “You don’t even like beer, do you?”
“No, I’m so sorry. It’s nasty as hell. How do you drink this stuff?” she asked as he laugh
ed. She handed him the bottle. “Take it. I can’t. Yuck!”
“It’s an acquired taste,” he admitted as he led her out of the guest room and down the hall to his bedroom, his amusement fading somewhat at the thought of her so near his private space and his bed.
“Most alcohol is,” she said, distracted as she studied the double folding doors of the closet. She turned and looked at the king-size bed shoved into the corner. “Oh, you definitely need more room. This is a stunning bed. Where in the world did you find it?”
“My cousin Theo? His wife is a welder,” Walker said as she ran her hands along the curving, trailing metal vines that made up the footboard.
“His wife? Wow. She’s an artist. This is really spectacular. Does she make these on commission or special order or anything? You know Amelia tried to set us up today, right?”
The question came out of the blue, delivered as it was. For the life of him, Walker couldn’t answer. Instead, he stared at her, then looked down at the bottles he held.
“Caleb?” Brooke tilted her head. “Are you okay?”
“You knew? About Pip, I mean. You knew about that?”
She nodded. “Of course.” Her cheeks were flushed a soft pink, and she looked at the quilt that covered the mattress. Tracing the lines, she spoke softly. “Is that a problem?”
Needing to get his hands empty, Walker set the bottles on the dresser, then he stepped over to her. With one finger, he tipped her face toward him. “You were willing to be set up with me by the biggest Cupid in Eastern Kentucky? Why?”
When she wet her lips, the blush intensifying, he nearly whimpered.
