Trinity Falls

by Regina Hart

  Megan glanced at Wesley Hayes, one of her part-time assistants, who walked the aisles of Books & Bakery with her as they closed the shop Thursday night. The high school junior was a great employee—smart, efficient and dependable. She started to tell him that when the chime above the store’s front door interrupted her.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “All right, Ms. McCloud.” Wesley’s response was preoccupied.

  Megan checked her red Timex as she hurried to the front of the store to greet the last-minute patron. It was five minutes to eight. Why would someone arrive so late? Everyone in town knew the store closed promptly at eight P.M. during the week.

  Her steps faltered when she recognized Ean strolling forward. She hadn’t seen much of him since Sunday. She’d begun to think the last kiss they’d shared had never happened. His loose-limbed grace drew her eyes to his faded denim jeans and his long, strong thighs underneath.

  Megan jerked her gaze upward. “We’re closing in a few minutes. Is there something I can help you find?”

  “No, thanks. I’ve already found her.” Ean tossed her a boyish grin.

  Did he think those pretty words and that sexy grin would make her forget his five days of silence? He was right.

  She returned his smile. “Did you come to walk me home?”

  “Yes.”

  Megan blinked. She’d been joking, but he looked serious. “Ean, that’s very kind of you, but I’ll be fine on my own.”

  “I know, but I’d like to walk with you tonight.” His casual words played with her heart.

  Megan glanced around. If she looked at him too long, his hypnotic olive eyes would claim her soul. “It’ll take me a while to get ready. We’re making sure everything’s in order before closing the store.”

  On cue, Wesley emerged from one of the aisles. His blue button-down shirt was slipping free of the waistband of his navy pants again.

  “Ms. McCloud, I’ve straightened the shelves in the back.” The seventeen-year-old jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to . . . Hey! Aren’t you Ean Fever?”

  “Yes, I am.” Ean extended his right hand. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Wes Hayes. I play ball for Heritage High.” A broad grin lightened Wesley’s usually solemn features. His lanky body vibrated with excitement. “I want to be just like you one day. Leave this place behind and make a name for myself in the big city.”

  Ean shot a glance toward Megan, releasing Wesley’s hand. “Keep your grades up. Not everyone makes it in the pros. I didn’t.”

  Wesley shook his head. His thin brown braids swung above his shoulders. “No, but you were making serious jack with the law firm. I wanna do that.”

  “How are your grades?”

  “They’re all right.” Wesley shrugged, still staring at Ean as though the lawyer was a pop star.

  Megan smiled at Wesley’s modesty. The high school junior was taking Advanced Placement classes and his grade point average was almost a perfect 4.0.

  Ean knitted his brows. “Your grades will have to be better than ‘all right’ if you want to get into a good college and law school.”

  “Yes, sir.” Wesley’s grin remained in place. “Maybe you could give me some tips. I’d like to attend the schools you went to.”

  “Sure. Since we’re going to be neighbors, you can stop by my office anytime. It’s just a few doors down.” Ean nodded to his right.

  The air drained from Megan’s lungs. “Your office?”

  “Cool! Thank you, Mr. Fever.” Wesley’s brown features glowed with joy. “See you later, Ms. McCloud, Mr. Fever.”

  Megan regained her breath. “Your office?”

  Ean watched Wesley jog from the store, closing the door behind him. “Does he remind you of me when I was his age?”

  “No.” Megan turned toward her own office. She knew he would follow. She was right. “Wes has a quiet intensity. He thinks things through. You were much more outspoken. You said whatever was on your mind, always assuming you were right.”

  “I usually was.”

  “Or so you thought.” Megan rolled her eyes, even though Ean couldn’t see her.

  Why wasn’t he answering her questions? What did he want? And why was he renting office space in the Trinity Falls Town Center?

  “If I was so obnoxious, why did you have a crush on me?”

  Megan stopped mere steps from her door. Why had she armed him with that information? Ean bumped into her from behind, causing her to stumble even closer to the threshold.

  “I have no idea what I was thinking.” Megan began the ritual of leaving for the evening. “Are you really renting office space in the center?”

  “Yes. I’m opening a law practice.” Ean turned away from her to examine the bookcase across the room.

  Megan contemplated his broad shoulders, covered in his gray London Fog jacket. He reached out to handle the framed photograph of her and Ramona posing with their grandparents and a children’s book author. It was the closest Ramona had gotten to reading that summer.

  “Why?” She turned back to her desk and logged off her computer.

  Ean returned the picture to the bookshelf. “Trinity Falls could use a local lawyer.”

  “And you’re going to fill that role?” Megan collected her purse from her bottom desk drawer and shrugged it onto her shoulder. “For how long?”

  Ean turned to her. “How can I convince you I’m home to stay?”

  “You’d have to stay.” Megan led Ean from the room and turned off the lights. “Even then you’d have a credibility problem because your goal in high school was getting out of Trinity Falls and never coming back.”

  “I’m not in high school anymore.”

  Megan locked her office door. “Trinity Falls wasn’t able to hold you fourteen years ago. What’s changed?”

  “I have.” Ean paced beside Megan as she strode to the store’s front exit.

  Megan set the alarm before joining Ean outside. Was he really home to stay? That couldn’t be possible. A longer visit—he’d already been back for more than a month—was more plausible. He’d reconcile with Ramona and then they’d both return to New York. That was a scenario she could believe. She was far more familiar with people leaving than with people actually wanting to stay.

  Then why was he opening a solo practice and claiming his relationship with Ramona had ended? Ramona probably would have something to say about that.

  Megan joined Ean on the sidewalk. “Did you ask Doreen about your father’s illness?”

  “You were right. It was his idea not to tell me he was dying.”

  She turned toward home. “So now you have the answers you were looking for.”

  Ean shoved his hands into his front jacket pockets. He kept pace beside her. “I’m beginning to think you don’t want me here.”

  “I don’t believe you want to be here.”

  His chuckle was dry. “Because when I was eighteen, I wanted to leave. I’m thirty-two now.”

  “And you now know that you no longer crave the bright lights of the big city. After fourteen years, you’ve finally realized that you’re a small-town boy at heart.”

  “That’s right.”

  Megan smothered a sigh of frustration. Were all men this difficult to communicate with, or was Ean a special case? They walked for several blocks in a preoccupied silence. The evening breeze carried a sharp chill. Megan pulled her overcoat tighter around her body.

  Another peaceful night in Trinity Falls. It was only a little after eight o’clock, but already the streets were empty of traffic. Their footsteps echoed against the redbrick pavement. A few townspeople were gathered in quiet conversations in front of darkened storefronts. The intermittent streetlights kept the deepest shadows at bay.

  Megan inhaled the clean, crisp fall air. If she stood still and closed her eyes, she could imagine she was the only person on the planet. She’d attended the University of Illinois and had experienced what the big city had to offer in Chicago.
The noise, congestion, sirens, shortened tempers. Chicago, New York, Philadelphia—they could all keep their cultural attractions, nightlife and skyscrapers. She was more than happy with the peaceful solitude of small-town life, thank you very much.

  But what about Ean?

  “After seven years in New York, what made you decide to come home?”

  Ean’s introspection ended with Megan’s quiet question. She was persistent. He’d give her that. And she didn’t shy away from confrontations, another formidable trait. But why didn’t she believe him?

  He looked at her cool chocolate eyes beneath her knitted brows. “Why are you angry?”

  Megan didn’t hesitate. “I’m not angry. I’m concerned. I don’t want Doreen—or the town—to be disappointed when you return to New York.”

  “I won’t.” What about her? Would she be disappointed if he left?

  “Then explain why you’ve come home to stay after achieving your dream in New York.”

  Ean would have laughed if the statement hadn’t been so absurd. The dream had become a nightmare. “I hadn’t realized my father was dying. What does that say about my dream life in New York?”

  “That your priorities were wrong.”

  Ean flexed his shoulders, trying to dislodge the tension growing there. “I got tired of the rat race. In seven years, I was home a total of six weeks. That’s less than a week each year.”

  “I remember how disappointed your parents were when you stayed only two or three nights.”

  That didn’t make him feel better. It only added guilt to the anger and resentment he still felt toward the demands of his previous job. Ean drew a deep breath. The scent of burning wood sweeping out of the nearby chimneys settled him. It was a marked contrast from the stench of trash and exhaust that had assailed him in his former New York neighborhood.

  “I worked every waking moment, but still couldn’t keep up. I made partner two years ago. But when I realized I’d been billing hours for the firm instead of spending time with my dying father, I knew I’d made a mistake.” Even as he spoke the words, he knew he’d failed to mask his resentment.

  “Your father was proud of you, Ean.” Megan’s tone had softened.

  Ean closed his eyes briefly. She felt sorry for him now. That was worse. “I was using my law degree to find loopholes for companies to get out of lawsuits and government investigations. That’s not something to be proud of.”

  “He was proud that you’d achieved your dream of becoming a lawyer and working in New York.”

  “It was a mistake.” Ean’s tone was flat. “I should have stayed in Trinity Falls. Here people care about me as a person rather than a legal weapon.”

  “Are you saying, ‘There’s no place like home’?”

  Streetlights lit the small smile hovering around Megan’s full lips and the twinkle in her chocolate eyes.

  Just like that, Ean’s tension dissipated. “I guess I am.”

  The silence between them was comfortable for several minutes. Ean still hadn’t seen an automobile drive down the quiet neighborhood street. But several townspeople walked past them—elderly couples enjoying an after-dinner stroll, teenagers hurrying home after hanging out with friends, families on their way back from the local ice-cream parlor. Ean exchanged greetings and withstood curious stares from all of them. He hadn’t missed the nosy neighbors. How long would it take before everyone in Trinity Falls knew Ean Fever had walked Megan McCloud home from work?

  Megan pulled her key from her purse as they neared her home. “I understand why you’re upset. But if you hadn’t accomplished your goal, you would have had different regrets.”

  He couldn’t argue with that. “You’re right.”

  “Doreen must be very happy that you’ve decided to stay. She didn’t like your being so far from home.” Megan adjusted the shoulder strap of her purse.

  Ean noted the gesture and studied her posture. She seemed uncomfortable. Why? “Mom seemed happier when she learned I was getting my own place.”

  “Really?” Megan tossed back her head and laughed. Her demeanor relaxed.

  Ean remembered the conversation he’d had with Ms. Helen. For both his mother’s and his sake, he was glad he’d taken the older lady’s advice.

  He smiled at the amusement on Megan’s honey-toned features. “Coach George was coming over for dinner when I left.”

  Some of her amusement faded. “Ean, you’ve got to give Leo a chance.”

  “I will, but not tonight.” Ean followed Megan up the winding walkway to her front door. “Anyway, I found a town house in Quincy’s complex. I’m moving in tomorrow.”

  “You have been busy.” She sounded impressed. Her reaction meant more to him than winning any of his multiple high-profile corporate cases.

  “Do you believe me now?”

  “We’ll see.” She tossed him a grin that warmed his body. “Is that the reason you came to the store today? To tell me you’ve moved out of your mother’s house?”

  Ean took the keys from her. He was getting used to her sense of humor. Ignoring the question in her gaze, he unlocked her front door. “Not exactly.”

  “Then why exactly?” She spoke over her shoulder as she preceded him into her home.

  Ean scanned the foyer, noting the corner light she’d left on again. He locked the door and gave Megan back her keys. “I signed the lease on the office space Tuesday and the rental agreement this morning.”

  She hung her coat on the coat tree in the corner of the foyer and held out her hand for his. “You’ve gotten a lot done since I last saw you.”

  Ean shrugged out of his jacket and hung it beside hers. “That proves I’m here to stay.” He fisted his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. His palms were sweating like a nervous adolescent’s.

  “I hope you are.”

  Ean searched her features for a sign that she was wavering in her disagreement. He found nothing. “I want to explore this attraction between us.”

  Megan’s breath caught in her throat. She coughed to dislodge it. “That’s direct.”

  Ean’s features eased into his smile. “I thought you’d prefer that.”

  She wouldn’t bother to deny their attraction. They’d both know she was lying. Megan led them from the bright foyer to the deeper shadows of the living room.

  She settled onto the sofa. “It’s never been only a question of when you were leaving. I also don’t know whether Ramona will be able to let you go.”

  Irritation creased his brow. “She walked out on me.” Ean sat beside her. “We’d been living together for less than a year before she told me she was returning to Trinity Falls with or without me.”

  Megan shifted on the cushion to face him. “I’m really not sure, Ean. If Ramona still has feelings for you, I don’t want to get in her way.”

  Which was much more loyalty than Ramona would ever show her. So why did she care? Because when she’d needed Ramona, her cousin had stayed. And when the town had needed her, Ramona had stayed longer.

  Ean shook his head in disgust. “The only thing Ramona wants from me is a New York address. I’ve told her the same thing I’ve told you—I’m staying in Trinity Falls.”

  Megan’s pulse beat harder. She stood and crossed the room, hiding her reaction to his words in deeper shadows. “But your being here may have brought back her feelings for you.”

  Ean’s touch on her shoulder startled Megan. She hadn’t heard him approach. She turned to face him and was caught by the intensity in his olive eyes.

  “I don’t want Ramona. I want you.” Ean lowered his mouth to hers.

  CHAPTER 16

  His taste was more than fourteen-year-old Megan could have imagined. Mysterious and dark, tempting her curiosity. Open and bright, sharing all that he was. Megan leaned closer, taking the kiss even deeper. Her control was slipping away. She wanted to get closer. She needed to taste more. She hooked her arms behind his back, pressing her breasts harder against his chest. She sent her tongue after Ean’
s, showing him what she wanted—his touch, his heat, his essence.

  Ean tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her body to his. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, stroking her moist cavern with a suggestive pulse. Megan groaned deep in her throat. She’d dreamed of this. Her hips picked up their rhythm, moving against him with her own demands.

  Ean shifted his hands lower to her hips, taking hold of her buttocks and raising her against him. Even with the layers of clothes between them, the sensation of his desire pulsing against the apex of her thighs set Megan’s body on fire. She tore free of his lips and threw back her head with a gasp. Her muscles ached. Her nipples tightened. She wanted more. She drilled her fingers into his shoulders.

  Megan’s eyes popped open at the feel of Ean’s knit sweater beneath her hands. “Off.”

  He froze, loosening his hold on her. “What?”

  “Your sweater. Off.” Her words croaked.

  Ean smiled as he set her free. He stepped back and, with his left hand, pulled off his sweater, letting it drop to her carpet.

  His body was a masterpiece. Broad, molded shoulders, sculpted pecs and hard, flat abdominals. Dark hair lightly covered his chest, leading a tempting trail to the waistband of his denim jeans. She could stare at him all night. She’d rather lay with him, instead.

  Megan lifted her gaze to his. She cleared her throat. “Your body . . . It’s incredible.”

  The look in Ean’s eyes made her damp. “Your turn.”

  “Yes.” She raised her arms to unbutton her suit jacket.

  Ean stepped forward and nudged her hands aside. “Let me.”

  “All right.” Her voice trembled. Was it nerves or need?

  He took hold of her jacket. His fingers lingered on the bottom button. He leaned closer to her, pressing his face against her hair.

  “I love the way you smell.” His voice, low and husky, shared a secret in her ear.

  Oh, God. This was seduction. She’d never experienced it this way before. “It’s soap.” Her heart was beating too fast. She could barely speak.

  “It’s you.” His breath was warm against her neck.

  The first button came free. Megan swallowed. Ean’s finger traced her exposed skin. Her stomach muscles fluttered. The jacket tugged slightly as he released the second button. Two more to go. Hurry! Hurry!