by Susan Meier
Regret caused her to take a step back. “So you’re back to not wanting us to have a relationship?”
“Everything I said today out by the pool I said out of a false belief that my life is different. My mother just reminded me that it’s not.”
He sounded tired and alone. Like a guy who bore the burden of a dysfunctional family all by himself and had nothing to show for it but the satisfaction that everyone under his care was okay.
She stepped closer, said the words he needed to hear. “No matter what you think, you’re a good guy.”
He snorted a laugh.
So she stepped closer still. “You’d better accept it this time because if you make me take another step, we’re going to be bumping into each other.”
His eyes shifted. The burden of duty and responsibility became a light that seemed to glow from inside his soul. A light that called to her. He needed her and she wanted to be needed, to help him, to support him.
Even though he didn’t argue, she took the step. The light in his eyes flared, igniting a flickering flame low in her belly. There was never any denying that she was attracted to him, but now…now, all kinds of new emotions were bubbling up in her. She loved this strong, sensible, sane, sexy man.
His voice was quiet, raw when he said, “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
She swallowed, taking the step she’d never thought she’d take. “How do you know I can’t finish it?”
“You told me before you didn’t want to finish it.”
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind.”
In a flash his hand was at her nape, under the thick waterfall of hair, smoothing along her sensitive skin, sending prickles of excitement careening through her. His other hand fell to her waist. That hand drew her closer as he positioned her head so he could kiss her.
His lips met hers, soft and warm, but not light or easy. The first brush became a press that morphed into something like hungry nibbles that forced her to open her mouth to be able to match him move for move. His tongue swiped inside her mouth, tripping her up, confusing her as lightning flashed inside her head and thunder rumbled through her veins.
But just as quick and fiery as the kiss began, it ended when he pulled away so fast she almost fell.
“I’ve changed a lot, Kate. I’m older now. Smarter. But in some ways my life’s still a mess. I don’t need a friend and I don’t need just sex. I need a companion. Someone who really can stand by me. Somebody who won’t just warm my bed, she’ll share my life. All of it. Make damned sure you can do that before you offer what you just offered again. Because I won’t let you go a second time.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AS HE STRODE OUT of the study, Kate ran her trembling fingers over her mouth. If she’d harbored even one iota of doubt about Old Max or their past, that kiss had totally obliterated it.
But she understood what he was saying. If they loved each other, they had to stop playing silly games. But how could they know that they loved each other after eight short weeks? And if he didn’t give her time to experiment a bit, would they ever know?
When she stepped outside again, the kids from the playdate were gone. She rounded up Trisha and said goodbye to Annette and Gwen before turning to Max. Running the net through the pool to clean it, he faced her slowly. His eyes still flared with heat, passion. But it was what he’d said that stuck with her. Make damned sure this is what you want. Because I won’t let you go a second time.
It tightened her tummy, made her heart beat funny, made her breath stutter…but not in a bad way. In a good way. She knew exactly what he was saying. He wanted her to make the kind of commitment that she couldn’t have made as an inexperienced coed and he hadn’t been able to make as a charismatic, but tormented son. He wanted her to love him. The real him. Good looks, troubles and all.
She skirted away, one hand on Trisha’s shoulder to guide her to their car. Inside, she instantly turned on the air conditioner trying to lower the temperature in her bloodstream, but it was no use. He hadn’t just turned her on; he’d offered what she wanted.
Now that she was older and wiser, she knew life wasn’t about marrying the richest guy in town and living happily ever after. Life rarely went that smoothly. What she genuinely wanted—what every woman really wanted—was a real life with a real man who knew life sometimes came with trouble, but who also knew how to handle it.
But even considering all that, one thought overshadowed everything. If she discounted the Max she knew, then she’d only known this Max for two months. That wasn’t really enough to make a commitment.
“Daddy said we can swim again next Sunday.”
“Did he?” Next Sunday was the date she’d planned to return to Tennessee. Instead of leaving, would she be planning to stay…forever?
Was it fair of Max to ask that of her? So soon?
Or was it as he’d said…that she’d made the offer?
She had been the one to step close.
Oh, Lord, she was so confused!
Monday afternoon when he came for his scheduled time with Trisha, Kate eased him and Trisha out the door, suggesting they go for ice cream or go to the park or even the mall. He didn’t give her the deer-in-the-headlights look he might have given her when he’d first met his daughter. Instead, he seemed perfectly comfortable. As if he would enjoy his time alone with their daughter, and he definitely wasn’t going to push her about the other things.
He confirmed that assumption when he brought Trisha home at around four. He thanked her for letting him have Trisha that afternoon, kissed Trisha goodbye and walked to his car.
But she stood by the door, watching him leave, longing to be able to ask him to stay. Longing to leave with him.
The yearning was so strong that night that she called him. She didn’t have his cell number, only the old landline number for their house. Surprisingly, it not only rang, but Max answered.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” Pleasant surprise colored his voice.
“I, um…” Ah, damn it. She’d planned so many good excuses for why she’d called him and now all of them seemed stupid, phony. She sucked in a breath. Since there was no pretense between them, might as well cut right to the chase. “I’ve been thinking about what you said on Sunday.”
“And?”
“And I think it’s too soon for us to make a commitment.”
He laughed. “What do you want to do? Date?”
“Lord, that would be awkward.”
“Maybe not.” His voice softened, warmed. As if he’d realized they needed to compromise. “We’ve got to start somewhere, Kate.”
Her heart pitter-pattered. They were making the decision. They were saying yes. Maybe not to remarriage, but to dating—a step toward remarriage. Suddenly everything that involved—family and friends and…Tennessee (she had a whole life in Tennessee)—seemed to sit on her shoulders like a lead weight.
Then he said, “And we’d have to explain overnight visits to Trisha. Unless you wanted to sneak away for afternoons.”
Everything inside her turned to heat and need. Her poor job didn’t hold a candle to Max.
When she didn’t reply, he laughed. “All right. Maybe it’s too soon to be suggesting overnight visits.”
But she still couldn’t speak. She’d never simultaneously wanted something and feared it. Especially something that came with such big consequences if they failed.
“So, I set a time to meet Chance.”
That brought her voice back. “You did?”
“Yes. I’m flying out to see him on Friday. Interestingly, he lives right in your backyard.”
“My backyard?”
“Tennessee.”
She laughed. “No kidding.”
“So if you’d like to fly out with me… Go visit your friends or your office. Or get some extra clothes. That would be fun.”
It would be fun. And if she planned on staying, she’d need those extra clothes. “I could pick up some sweaters from my tow
nhouse.”
“Should we leave Trisha behind?”
Her chest tightened. Leave Trisha? And end up making love on his plane? Or in her townhouse? “I think it would be nice for her to see her friends too.”
“Good.”
She took a breath, glad that he wasn’t pressing her. “Good.” It felt good. It seemed good. But did she really know what she was doing?
* * *
When Max arrived to pick her up Friday morning, Kate was surprised to see him in jeans and a T-shirt. Though she and Trisha wore casual, comfortable clothes, she thought he’d be wearing a suit and tie. Trisha was going on a playdate and she was only taking a stroll through her townhouse, gathering some sweaters and straightening up. Max was about to meet the brother he hadn’t seen in ten long years. Surely, he wanted to look better than this?
In his car on the way to the airport, she was tempted to ask, but anything that had to do with Chance was always risky. Though Trish looked to be innocently sitting in the backseat, twisting and turning poor Rachel’s voluminous hair, a mother never knew if her child was listening. Worse, she never knew what that child would choose to repeat.
When they got into the plane, and Trisha decided to sit in between her and Max, she again didn’t question him. But after they’d dropped Trisha at her friend Teagan’s house, when Max stopped his rental car in front of her townhouse and asked if he could come in to change his tennis shoes for boots, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
Walking up the sidewalk to her front door, she asked, “Just where are you meeting your brother?”
Max followed her into the foyer. “He’s at a construction site. It’s Friday. He’s still working.”
“And you’re going to Chance’s job site to see him?” Her eyes narrowed.
He sat on one of the stools in front of her cherrywood kitchen island that doubled as a counter for eating cereal and snacks, and slid a foot into a boot. “I have permission from the foreman.”
The funny feeling in her stomach grew into a suspicion. “He doesn’t know you’re coming, does he?”
Max slid into the second boot. “Nope.”
“Oh, Max! Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I have a brother who changes jobs every time he thinks I’ve found him. And I need to talk to him.” He caught her gaze. “I can’t take the chance that he’ll run before I can talk to him.”
“How do you know he won’t run when he sees you?”
“Because he’s not an idiot. He’s just mad. Once he sees me, he’ll grudgingly give me a few minutes.” He tied his second boot. “That’s all I need.”
Kate blew out her breath. She understood what he was saying, but her instincts told her he didn’t have this situation pegged as well as he thought he did. She glanced around at her townhouse. It needed dusting, but little else, and she made her decision.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Kate—”
“He knows me, too, Max. And he’s not mad at me. Maybe you could use that to your advantage.”
He rose from the stool. “It’s possible, but the construction site is almost an hour away from here. I expect to talk to him at least an hour. Then it’s another hour to come back to get Trisha. That will take your whole visit. I don’t want to ruin your visit.”
She shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
“You’re sure?”
Gazing into his perfect blue eyes, she knew she’d do anything for him and maybe it was time for her to admit that. “I’m sure.”
He shook his head. “You’re crazy. We have absolutely no clue what Chance will be like. But if you want to go, I’d appreciate the buffer you’ll probably provide.”
They drove forty minutes along the Tennessee Interstate, then another twenty minutes through the countryside until they reached a small town with a community of townhouses on the outskirts.
Surprised, Kate turned to Max. “I thought he was at work.”
“He is. He works for a small construction company that does a lot of home repair.”
She said, “Oh,” just as they turned onto another street. At the end sat two big Dumpsters. Assorted trucks, most bearing the name Turner Construction, were parked around them. The front door of a townhouse was open and two men stood at the hood of one of the trucks, blueprints spread out in front of them.
Max pointed. “That’s Josh Turner. He owns this outfit. It took me two days to track him down and find Chance.”
They got out of the rental car and Max headed for the two men. He extended his hand to the first man, “I’m Max Montgomery.”
“Josh Turner.” After dismissing the man beside him with a nod, he thrust out his hand to take Max’s. “Great to meet you, Mr. Montgomery.”
“This is my ex-wife, Kate.”
Josh shook her hand. “Good to meet you.” He faced Max again. “Chance is in the house. I’ll give him a shout.”
With that he left and headed for the front door. On the top step of the stoop, he called, “Hey, Chance! You’ve got a visitor.”
Kate stepped back. She knew construction. She knew shouting was the normal form of communication. But she still winced. Chance had no idea it was his brother he’d see standing in front of the truck. And after he’d stayed away for ten years and disappeared every time he thought Max had found him, she couldn’t believe this was going to be a happy reunion.
Josh returned to the truck. “We’re totally gutting the place,” he explained to Max with a nod at the townhouse. “It’ll be a peach when we’re done.”
“Good bones,” Max said, agreeing with him.
Just then a tall, thin man came out of the townhouse. Lanky, as Max had been ten years ago, with thick dark hair like Max’s, and blue-gray Montgomery eyes, this had to be Chance.
He approached them, his easy strides displaying the same effortless sexuality that Max had. His smile was slow but powerful, tugging at his full lips and lighting his eyes. “What’s up?”
Josh simply stepped back, so that Chance could get a good look at Max.
He stopped. His eyes narrowed. “Max?”
Max stepped forward, as if meeting him halfway. “Chance.”
Chance’s mouth dropped open. He turned to Josh. The same blue eyes that had sparkled with warmth now glittered with anger. “This is what you called me out for?”
Josh shrugged innocently.
Chance gurgled in disgust. “Do you know who this is?”
Confused, Josh said, “Your brother?”
“The brother I haven’t spoken to in ten years!” He shook his head angrily, then looked at the heavens. “I should fire you.”
Josh’s mouth fell open. “Fire me!”
Max stepped forward. “Come on, Chance. This was all me. I found Mr. Turner. I asked him to set up a meeting.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want to meet with you.”
Chance turned and trotted down the sloping yard, stopping at a motorcycle innocently parked on the street. He slid on, started it up and was gone so quickly Max, Kate and Josh stood frozen.
Max cursed.
Josh shook his head. “I thought he’d be happy to see you.”
“There’s a bit of bad blood between us.”
“I suspected as much if you needed a third party to set up a meeting, but I still thought he’d be happy.” He shook his head again. “He needs somebody in his life. He’s such a loner.”
“Yeah, he always has been.”
“But he’s smart.” He caught Max’s gaze. “Really smart. This time last year he was working for me. Now he’s the one buying the older townhouses and renovating them. Rumor has it he’s made a bundle. But he’s so alone. I was actually relieved when you called me and told me you were his brother. Now there’ll be hell to pay on Monday. That is, if he even shows up. As the house’s owner, he can handle his part of the job long-distance.”
“Great.”
Josh combed his fingers through his hair. “Sorry.”
“Yeah. Me, too.�
�
With a quick, jerky motion, Josh rolled up the blueprint. He turned and walked up the sidewalk into the townhouse.
Kate looked at Max. “So do we wait around until Monday and see if he comes back?”
“He won’t be back.”
“You’re so sure?”
“He hates me. I always thought it was because I knew about Dad and didn’t tell him, but after ten years—” He heaved out a breath. “There’s gotta be something I don’t know. And that he’s not telling.”
They drove to Kate’s home in silence. Trisha pouted a bit about not wanting to leave, but once the plane was in the air, she fell asleep.
Kate sat on the seat beside Max. “I’m sorry.”
“It certainly wasn’t your fault.” He smiled slightly and put his arm around her, pulling her close. “But thanks. It’s nice to have somebody to talk to again.”
She snuggled into his chest. “Oh, I’m sure you have lots of people to talk to.”
“Sure. Vice presidents talk about their divisions. My mom talks about her garden club. Annette tells me about her kids and lets me vent a frustration or two. But no one really talks about me.”
She nestled closer. “You can talk about you all you want with me.”
He laughed. Slid his hands down her back and then up again. Sweet peace resonated through him. He’d never thought he’d see her again, let alone have the chance to touch her. Let alone have her in love with him again.
But she was. He could feel it. Sense it. See it in her smile and the way she treated him.
He thought about seducing her right then and there, but Trisha slept peacefully beside them. They talked some more about Chance, but avoided the subject once Trisha awoke.
Bone-tired, he drove them home. When they got into the foyer, Bev instantly hustled Trisha upstairs. “You two say good-night. This child has had a long day and it’s time to get her into bed.”
Kate said, “Thanks, Mom,” as Bev and Trisha disappeared down the upstairs hall. Then, without any warning, Kate stood on her tiptoes and lightly brushed her lips across Max’s.
Attraction ricocheted through him as arousal pinged low in his belly. He’d so badly wanted to leave Trisha behind for the Tennessee trip. He’d wanted time alone with Kate. Not to seduce her, to let it happen naturally. Because once they were alone, he was sure it would. But she’d clearly been afraid, and he’d accepted that. But not happily.
