“Ditto.” She smiled and sipped her drink. “We should probably mingle. Separately.”
Again, he nodded but hung around the bar for another shot as he watched her sweet ass sashaying through the crowd and talked himself out of groaning.
“Damn, you’re one lucky son of a bitch,” Maddog stated, joining him in the losers circle.
Although, the only thing he’d lost was his mind.
“I knew I should’ve tried harder back at your brother’s engagement party.” The SEAL sighed into his beer as Finn and Ramrod, another member of his brother’s former team, neared.
The groom chuckled. “Just because you’ve struck out with Stacy doesn’t mean you can sniff around my brother’s fiancée.”
“Stacy,” Maddog muttered. “She’s sweet, and smart, but only interested in one SEAL, and it isn’t me.”
“Of course it’s not you.” Ramrod shoulder-checked his big friend. “You just said she was smart.”
The four of them laughed, including Maddog who was the first to sober.
“Seriously, though. If she’s so smart, I’ve no idea why she keeps eying Liam. I heard he’d had his chance and blew it.”
Brett exchanged a look with Finn before sliding his gaze to their activity director standing with Cammie and Trisha, smiling at something the bride said…and glancing at Liam. The squid was sitting at his parents’ table having a beer with Colonel Fisher, Mr. Jennings’ old friend, and a few other marines here on Cammie’s behalf. When he caught Stacy staring at him, she quickly glanced away.
Yeah, those two definitely had a history, which meant things were going to get interesting this fall when Liam moved in temporarily while renovating the ranch. Brett made a mental note to talk to the woman and see if she was going to be okay with the arrangement.
He hoped so because he liked Liam and his résumé. The man was a damn talented builder, but Stacy had been a friend and one hell of a good employee for the past few years. His loyalty was to his activity director, even if Liam was related to Trisha.
Trisha.
The mere thought of the woman heated him from within. His attention drifted to the beauty in light blue, and he stilled, heart rocking hard in his chest. Shit. Aunt Lettie and her two grandchildren had joined the women, and sixteen-month-old Jonathan was clinging to Trisha’s legs. Color draining from her face, she stared unblinkingly down at the little boy tugging on her dress as he smiled up at her.
Ah, Christ. Was she breathing?
Visions from their recent deployment shot through his head of similar little toddlers hanging on the corporal, vying for attention she willingly gave…until they’d all died.
Dropping his untouched scotch on the nearest table, Brett rushed to her side with Finn on his six and scooped the little boy up into his arms. “Hey, buddy, you have excellent taste, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to cut in and dance with my fiancée.” He handed the giggling child to Finn before turning back to Trisha. “Shall we?” Without waiting for a reply, which he knew wasn’t coming, he ushered, or rather tugged, her onto the dance floor and crushed her close.
Ah, Christ. She was cold and shaking.
“It’s okay,” he said, keeping his voice low and calm, for her and those nearby, not wanting to draw attention. “I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.”
After a few moments of holding her and rubbing her back, saying any kind of reassuring shit he could think of, Brett felt the instant Trisha snapped out of her trance.
She slipped her hands around his neck and sighed. “I thought we said no dancing.”
He closed his eyes and breathed for what felt like the first time in ten minutes. “Drastic times,” he muttered under his breath, then drew back to stare down into her face. “You okay?”
“Yes. Sorry. I’m not sure what happened.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “One second I was talking to Cammie and Stacy, then the next I was…elsewhere.”
“Iraq.”
She stiffened but nodded.
“Trisha, you have to know that’s not good.”
“Of course I know it wasn’t good. Iraq was ter—”
“I’m talking about your reaction to my cousin’s little boy. Jonathan grabbed your legs because he wanted to dance.”
She lifted her head and held his stare. “He just caught me off guard, that’s all.” She held up her hand palm down. “See? I’m fine.”
Even though she no longer shook, he knew she was far from fine. “I had hoped this place would work its magic on you. But it hasn’t. You’re getting worse. You know it, and I know it. You need help, Trisha. I know someone—”
“Why are you making such a big deal out of this, Brett?” She cut him off, chin lifting. “I’m fine. I just need some air.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she pulled out of his embrace, turned, and marched away.
Stomach twisting into a tight knot, he watched her disappear from the room. He hadn’t gotten promotions and made it up the ranks in the Marine Corps without knowing which battles to engage, and which to ignore.
The tides had just changed.
He headed to his office to make a phone call. Trisha could claim victory over this battle. He was more interested in winning the war.
****
Three gulps of air. Three gulps of fresh, mountain air were all Trisha needed to quiet her thundering pulse. She wandered out the back, retracing her steps to the gorgeous gazebo still decked out in a dazzling display of white.
“Mind telling me what that was all about?”
Jumping at the sound of her brother’s voice, she slowly turned to face him, pulse thundering out of control. “What are you, a ninja?” she replied, ignoring his question, knowing better than to give information away.
He stepped close and gently grabbed her upper arms. “What happened to you on your last deployment?”
Growing up, Liam had been her confidant. She could tell him anything. Could she tell him this?
Several answers shot through her head, but none of them made it to her mouth. It was just too damn painful. If she talked about the massacre, she’d see it all play out in her head, experience the horror all over again, and God, she’d barely made it through the first time. The nightmares were hard enough to deal with.
So, she straightened her spine and held his gaze. “What happened on yours?”
“Mine?” He blinked and loosened his hold. “We’re not talking about me, Trisha.”
Her chin lifted. “Then we’re not talking about me, either.”
A calculated risk, she knew, to throw out a challenge like that, but she felt fairly certain she’d win.
He dropped his hands and walked to the back of the gazebo where he looked up at the mountain. With any of her other brothers, she would’ve immediately known the outcome. But this was Liam. He always held things close to the vest. And years of running around the world at the drop of a hat playing Navy SEAL, seeing God knows what, doing God knows what, had only honed that skill.
Heart pounding and pounding, she waited quietly, wanting to know what was bothering him, yet hating to have to discuss what haunted her in order to find out.
Just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer, he turned around and leaned his back against a post. “You have a good man.”
Relief shot through her body, and she had all she could do to hold back the soft cry that threatened. God, how she didn’t want to talk about Iraq. She absolutely would rather talk about Brett. She blew out a breath and nodded. “I know.”
“Do you?”
“Uh huh.” She nodded, walking to the railing on his left.
“I hope so, Sis, because it takes a lot to stand by someone who’s broken.”
He sounded as if he was speaking from experience. Trisha’s gaze shot to his, but she couldn’t tell if his words and haunted gaze were about her, or him. Because she wasn’t sure, she just nodded.
For a few heart-stopping seconds, he continued to stare before a slight twitch tugged his lips. “
You really engaged to your captain?”
Chapter Fourteen
Darn. Why did he keep asking her hard questions? She inhaled and shook her head, tired of lying and the weight it added to her exhausted shoulders. “Not exactly,” she replied and rested her rear against the railing.
His eyes narrowed. “Define not exactly.”
“Dad.”
A dawning entered his gaze as he muttered under his breath. Yeah, he was well aware of their over-achieving father’s pushy ways. Liam had been the only brother not to pursue a legal career.
“I was home one day, Liam, one dang day from deployment, and he already had me enrolled in law school, interning at his firm, and engaged to one of the junior partners. Figuratively,” she added, pushing from the rail to begin pacing. “It didn’t matter that it wasn’t what I wanted. Didn’t matter that I’d already been accepted at a university here in Colorado and made plans to start this fall. No. So, I had to resort to drastic measures, and I…I kind of blurted out I was already engaged to Brett because I knew Dad admired him, and I’d hoped it would keep him off my back until the fall. That I’d just tell him we’d decided to part ways, and oh…by the way, I’m not coming back to Texas, I’m staying in Colorado to pursue my own choice of career.”
“So…what happened?”
“Dad,” she replied again. “He wanted to meet with Brett, and I guess, see for himself that we were really engaged. Which, of course, was actually a problem because Brett didn’t even know.”
“Ah, hell, Trish.” He scrubbed a hand down his face.
“I know.” She half-chuckled, half-moaned and leaned against the rail again. “I called here to warn Brett and ask him to meet us at the Lonesome Steer the following day.”
“Near Amarillo?”
“Yeah. You know it?”
He nodded. “Gus is a good man.”
“I know,” she agreed. “He was rather amused by the tale we all spun for Mom and Dad…and Brett.” She laughed at her brother’s quizzical expression. “He showed up at the honky tonk all right but had no clue about our engagement because he hadn’t been home when I’d called. I talked to Finn, who reassured me his brother would help.”
Liam laughed. “Ah, hell. Something tells me that twin rivalry reared its head.”
“Yep. Within the first few minutes, Brett jumped in, thinking it was a practical joke.” She could still recall how her body had come to life the first time her C.O. looked at her like he wanted to eat her up. “It wasn’t until Mom and Dad left and Finn never showed his face that the captain got a clue.”
Her brother’s chuckle filled the space between them and tugged a smile from her lips. God, it was great to hear him laugh.
“Wish to hell I’d been there to see that.”
“Oh, man, he was pissed.” Trisha shuddered at the memory of her unamused captain when he realized they were really in a fake engagement.
“Well, sometime between then and now the guy fell for you, sis.”
Liam’s statement knocked the wind out of her.
“And you fell just as hard for him.”
Tears filled her eyes and burned her throat as she nodded.
Her brother pushed from the post and gathered her close, resting his chin on her head. “Hold onto him, Trish. Let him in.”
****
By the time Trisha returned to the reception, Brett had made his phone call and sealed his fate. Good or bad, it was done. Fighting the urge to rush to her side, he held fast and stood strong. She was saying good-bye to her parents who were leaving early to head back to Texas.
No. He needed to give her space, not push. Let her come to him. Christ, he was not good at giving up control. But he’d learn.
For her.
So, he switched gears and decided now was a good time to track down his A.D. Scanning the room, he found Stacy surrounded by a group of eager males, including Maddog. The squid was nothing if not persistent. Hiding a smile, Brett strode toward the woman and her gaggle of devotees.
“Excuse me, fellas,” she said, straightening her shoulders when he approached, relief evident in her eyes. “I think my boss needs me. Duty calls.”
He nodded, cupping her elbow. “Yes, I need to talk to my activity director.”
The men groaned but dispersed without haste.
Brett released her and chuckled. “I don’t think your admirers are too happy with me right now.”
Color crept into her pretty face, emphasizing her chocolate brown eyes. “There’s just a shortage of single women here, that’s all.”
He smiled. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s you, Stacy.”
Her dress was identical to Trisha’s except light purple and appeared a little shorter, showing off more leg since she was a good two inches taller. Brett’s heart belonged to Trisha, but he knew an attractive woman when he saw one, and Stacy Bradshaw was definitely one of them.
“So.” She cleared her throat. “What did you need?”
Obviously uncomfortable talking about herself, she probably wasn’t going to like his answer.
“I wanted to know your thoughts on Liam Jennings.”
She blinked and narrowed her eyes. “I…Why?”
“Despite what my brother might say to the contrary, I’m not stupid. I can tell you and Liam have a history.”
Her burgeoning smile disappeared; other than that, she had no reaction.
“I take it you’ve heard we’re in the process of hiring him to do the renovations?”
She nodded but remained quiet.
“This means he’ll be living here for a few months. Are you okay with that? Because if you’re not, we’ll find someone else.”
Her brows shot up, then returned as her smile stretched to full capacity. “You’re sweet, Brett. Thanks, but Liam is brilliant and the perfect man for the job. We had a…thing once, a few years ago. It’s in the past. I can suck it up and get along with him. I promise there won’t be an issue.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
He blew out a breath and smile. “Good because we really like his ideas.”
She returned his smile and nodded. “I look forward to seeing them.”
The A.D. had never lied to him before, but her pupils had definitely dilated during their conversation. Still, he didn’t push it. Whatever happened in her past was her business, as long as it didn’t affect his business.
“So, was there anything else you needed?”
“As a matter of fact…” He withdrew a small list from his pocket, the one he’d compiled in his office ten minutes ago, and handed it to her.
Stacy glanced at the paper, then met his gaze and smirked. “I’m on it.”
“Thanks.”
As he watched the A.D. disappear from the room, he hoped he wasn’t wasting her time. Hell, he wasn’t even sure where he and Trisha stood right now. But he did know he sure as hell was going to give it all he had and lay it all out on the line with her later tonight, after the bride and groom were off on their honeymoon and the guests were gone.
Now, he just had to bide his time.
“Here, you look like you could use this.”
Liam handed him a scotch, similar to the one he’d set down untouched a half-hour ago.
“Thanks,” he said with a nod, lifting the drink to his mouth, resisting the urge to toss it back in one gulp, because, yeah, it had been that kind of half-hour.
“Give her time. My sister’s worth it.”
He lowered his glass and held the formidable, former SEAL’s gaze. “I agree.” His heart rocked hard against his ribs as his brother’s words flittered through his head. “A wise man once told me nothing good comes easy.”
Liam’s gaze strayed to Stacy, who’d reentered the room. “True.” The man’s intense gaze returned to him. “I’m going to tell you what I told my sister.”
Brett cocked his head, more than a little curious.
“Let her in.”
With a curt nod, the SEAL turned a
nd disappeared into the crowd. Brett stared after him.
Let her in.
Hell, wasn’t that what he’d been doing? Letting her in, letting her share everything?
He’d let Trisha into his cabin. His bed. His ranch. His job. His life. His heart.
Not all of it, his conscience insisted, not all the way.
He inhaled as the realization set in. How could he expect her to open up and share her deepest fears when he held that part of himself back?
He hadn’t let her in all the way. Hadn’t bared his soul. Hadn’t even realized he’d had one. Hell, he hadn’t realized a good many things until Trisha had become more than one of his marines.
Forty minutes later, Brett stood next to his mother and Terry in the crowd gathered in the driveway, waving to the bride and groom as Liam drove them away.
“You done good, hun,” Terry said, kissing his mother’s cheek.
She wiped her face and sniffed. “I just wanted everything to be perfect for them. They deserve it.”
“Then I’d say you delivered,” he told his mom. “It was a good day.”
Except for Trisha’s episode. His gut clenched tight, hating not being able to help the woman he loved.
“He’s right,” his fiancée said, stepping through the crowd to slip her arm around his waist, shocking him silent with her nearness. “Everything was beautiful.”
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth or question where her anger with him had gone, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his side. “Especially you.”
Tears filled her eyes, and ah, hell, he wasn’t sure how to fix it. How did he make it stop?
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve been an ass.”
“Nonsense. You’ve been wonderful,” his mother said, patting Trisha’s arm.
He knew the words were meant to comfort, but somewhere wires must’ve crossed because…damn it, the tears and sniffing increased. Her distress had his insides turned upside down and inside out and so muddled he said the first thing that came to his mind.
“I love your ass.”
“And that’s our cue to head inside,” Terry said, ushering the small crowd up the steps. “I wonder if there’s any cake left.”
Cowboy Payback Page 16
