by Liv Brywood
Brady pounded his fist on the bar. “What’s a guy got to do to get a drink around here?”
Steve’s face contorted with anger until he spotted Brady. As he pushed back from the bar, he winked at the girl. He walked down to where Brady sat. “How the hell are you? You haven’t been in here for so long I was about ready to send search and rescue out to find you.”
“Yeah, it’s been a few months.”
Steve jerked his head toward the college girl. “We’ve been getting some pretty live ones in here.”
“Biting?”
The bartender barked a laugh. “Like a rainbow trout in spring.”
Brady grinned. “We have to go fishing again after the first thaw.”
“I swear I won’t hook my line in your jacket like last year.”
“You thought you’d caught a monster.”
“Yeah, but instead, I caught one pissed-off bear.”
Brady laughed. “I think you still owe me a cold one for that.”
“What’ll it be?”
“Anything new come out of that brewery over in Cody?”
“Some foo-foo winter lager girly-beer.”
“Maybe I should stick with the usual.”
“One Sam Adams coming up.”
Brady leaned back slightly to get a better look around the room. Steve wasn’t kidding when he’d said there were a few live ones. The place looked like they’d bussed in a sorority. Skinny college girls jutted out their flat chests as if to advertise their availability.
Normally, he’d grab a few beers and try to find a cute girl for a night of fun. But this time, no one captured his attention. They were too stick skinny and didn’t have the curves he craved. A woman needed some meat on her bones. A bubble butt and some luscious hips were enough to make his bear rise up and demand action. But none of the women peaked his bear’s attention even a little bit.
Tonight his bear was restless. Brady could lie to himself and pretend he didn’t know why, but he did. Seeing Rachel again after all these years had awakened a hibernating passion—a passion that needed to be squelched as quickly as possible. He couldn’t afford to think about any woman as more than just a temporary companion.
The war had changed him. He’d seen things that had stolen his faith in humanity and made him vow never to have children. Everywhere he looked, war, famine, and darkness stole the lives of too many innocent people. He couldn’t imagine bringing a life into this world in its current state.
He took a swig of beer. On the broken, war-torn streets of Kabul, he’d vowed to keep his life simple. He’d planned to return to the ranch once his tour ended. He’d defend his brothers and do whatever he could to make their lives good, but he’d live out the rest of his without a wife and children. He’d lost all hope that night in Kabul when he’d seen kids blown to pieces by a car bomb. What the hell was wrong with people? How could they blow up a child while fighting over ideology? He’d never understand it.
Rachel’s gorgeous face and sparkling green eyes flashed through his mind. His reaction to her meant nothing. Although every muscle in his body longed to feel her gentle touch, trying to reignite anything with her was impossible. She’d betrayed him and he wouldn’t forgive her no matter what she said.
He had to stop thinking about her soft thighs and voluptuous breasts. Even if he wanted to peel her clothes off, lay her down and make love to her, he couldn’t. She had a baby. Hell, she might even have a husband. He hadn’t thought to look for a ring on her finger. Either way, she was off limits, a part of his past, not his future.
Three beers later, he’d almost convinced himself he didn’t care. But the second he heard her voice from across the room, every ounce of his resolve drained away.
He turned slowly to keep from falling off the bar stool. Through the crowd, he spotted her long, curly tendrils of chestnut hair and instantly went hard. The alcohol dulled his ability to rein in his bear. He should have known better than to have that last beer. Now there’d be hell to pay.
Chapter 3
The skin on the back of Rachel’s neck prickled with the sensation of being watched. She slid into a booth near the back of the bar and grabbed a menu. After holding it up to block her face, she peeked over the top.
She spotted Brady leaning back with his elbows on the bar. A smattering of empty beer bottles stood like sentinels, a testament to his obviously inebriated state. He stared right at her as if challenging her to go talk to him.
She quickly raised the menu. Beneath her thick winter coat and long sleeved shirt, her heart pounded harder than the galloping hooves of a hundred wild horses. She took in a shaky breath and blew it out. What was she so afraid of anyway? Or was it even fear?
A high-pitched voice chirped, “Can I take your order?”
Still holding the menu high, Rachel glanced at the list of sandwiches. “I’ll take a club sandwich, extra mayo, French fries, and a beer. No. Make that an herbal tea.”
She’d need her wits about her if Brady crossed the room to talk to her. Not that he would. Not that she wanted him to do it. Right? Oh, God, but she did.
The waitress hadn’t been gone for more than a few seconds when she heard his voice. “This seat taken?”
She dropped the menu a few inches to confirm what she already knew. Brady stood next to the table with a beer in one hand and a sour expression on his face.
“I’m… I’m expecting someone.”
Under normal circumstances she hated lying, but she’d already worked herself into a corner by keeping her baby a secret. What was one more lie when she’d already spent years telling everyone Jimmy’s father had run off and left her?
“Your baby’s daddy?” Brady asked with a smirk.
The seat dropped out from under her and for a second, she thought she’d faint. He knew about her son. But how? The only person in town who knew about her son was her mother and she’d been sworn to secrecy.
“Well?” A hint of impatience entered his tone.
“How did you… who told you?”
Without waiting for an invitation, he slid into the booth. “Mack saw you in town earlier. He said your son’s about three. You sure didn’t wait to hook up with someone else. I bet my plane wasn’t even off the ground before you were running off with another man. And here I was, living in the sandy version of hell, hoping you’d write back to me. God, I was such a fool.”
She sat up. “I didn’t—”
He narrowed his eyes and took a swig of beer. After setting the bottle down, he leaned back and laced his fingers together. “I can see how you’d have a hard time staying single. You must have had men clamoring to date you. Who was it? Parker Rollings? Henry Palior? I can keep going.”
She shook her head. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. Since when did you start drinking anyway? You never drank when we were together.”
“I’m not the same man you left.”
Her hackles rose. “I left? Are you kidding me? You. Left. Me. I loved you, but you obviously didn’t feel the same way because you took off.”
He looked away. “Where’s your kid anyway?”
“He’s with my mother. I told her I needed a night off, so I left him with her. I’ll be back to get him in the morning.”
“Why didn’t you leave him with his daddy?”
She studied the intricate pattern of wood on the table. “He’s not around anymore.”
“Too bad. His loss,” he mumbled.
Her gaze snapped up to meet his. For a second, time stood still. His chocolate-brown eyes locked onto her with an awareness that shot straight through her body to pool warm and wet in her core.
Damn it. After all these years, one look could still turn her into a puddle of need. Regardless of everything that had happened between them, lust surged through her veins. Every inch of his virile body tensed as if poised to pounce. The vein on the side of his neck pulsed in time with her racing heart. She licked her bottom lip, wishing she could taste the beer on his lips.
He looked away, breaking the spell.
The waitress arrived with the herbal tea. “Your sandwich’ll be up in a minute. Can I get you something, handsome?”
Brady smiled. “Another beer would be great.”
Rachel frowned. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough already?”
“No. And since when are you my mother? You sure as hell don’t look like her.” His gaze burned across her body, setting her on fire.
The waitress jutted her hip out and leaned her hand on it. “Well?”
“Beer,” he said.
As soon as the waitress left, he fixed his gaze on Rachel. “Why did you come here?”
“I like the food.”
“I don’t mean to the bar. Why did you come out to the ranch?”
She stalled by opening the tea’s wrapper. She repeatedly dunked the tea bag into the steaming cup of hot water in an attempt to buy more time. Now would be a horrible time to tell him about Jimmy. Drunk and pissed off, he’d outright refuse to have anything to do with her or Jimmy. She’d have to wait until she could catch him in a sober, rational state of mind.
He leaned forward and grabbed her wrist lightly. “Why?”
As she pulled away, her stomach flipped. The longer she tried to talk to him, the worse the conversation would go. She couldn’t risk Jimmy’s life by approaching Brady at the wrong moment.
She slid out of the booth.
“Where are you going?” he demanded.
“I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”
“So there is something you want to talk to me about?”
“Yes, but now is clearly not the right time.”
She flipped the hood up on her coat and dropped some cash on the table. It should be enough to cover the bill and tip. She didn’t want to wait for the food. She wouldn’t be able to eat it anyway.
“Goodbye, Brady.”
A stunned expression crossed his face. “Wait.”
“I can’t.” She turned and walked away from the only man she’d ever loved.
Outside, a snowstorm raged. Furious northern winds whipped across the edges of her coat as if looking for an opening. Snowflakes pelted her face. She shoved her hands into the jacket pockets and hurried toward her car.
After settling into the driver’s seat, she shoved the key in the ignition and turned. Nothing happened.
“God, not now.”
She turned the key again. The car clicked a few times then stopped. She slammed her hands against the steering wheel. Seriously? Like she didn’t have enough to deal with already? Of course her damned car had chosen tonight to die.
She leaned her head against the freezing faux leather and fought back tears. Sometimes it seemed like the entire world was conspiring against her. When would she finally catch a break?
She stared out the snow-crusted window. Light from a nearby lamp fractured across the glass. In another life, she’d probably be enjoying the peaceful silence of a winter night. But tonight, the music of the night included howling wind and the choking sobs of a broken woman.
***
Brady stumbled out of the bar into the lashing storm. Across the street, he recognized the form of a woman bent over the steering wheel of her car. Was she in trouble? Maybe he’d be able to help her and at least do one thing right today.
The closer he came to the car, the more the woman’s shoulders heaved. She appeared to be crying. He sighed. Great, just what he needed right now, a hysterical woman. Like he didn’t already have enough problems now that Rachel had blown back into his life.
He leaned into the wind and forced one foot in front of the other. His progress wasn’t very steady, but he’d get there eventually.
When he finally reached the car, he swiped a hand across the driver’s side window and peered in. “Oh, hell.”
Startled, Rachel stared up at him through red-rimmed eyes. She unlocked the door and opened it a crack. “What are you doing?”
“I was checking to see if you needed any help. I didn’t know it was you.” Damn, he didn’t mean for it to come out that way.
She wiped a tear from underneath her eye. “I don’t need your help.”
“Of course you don’t. You never did, right? What’s wrong? Car problem?”
“I can’t get it to start.”
“Pop the hood.”
The hood snapped open. He circled around to the front of the car and peeked in at the engine. After wiggling and checking the connections, he stood back and closed the hood.
Rachel leaned out of the window. “What do you think?”
“My guess would be the battery. I have jumper cables in my truck. I’ll be right back.”
“You can’t drive right now. You just drank a bunch of beer.”
He shrugged. “Yeah. My plan was to stay until closing so I could sober up. But now, I just want to get home and sleep this off.”
“Where’s your car?”
“Around the corner.”
“We’ll walk over there together and I’ll drive your truck. After we jump mine, I’ll drive you home. One of your brothers can bring you back in the morning to get your truck.”
“I can just call one of them to pick me up. I wouldn’t want to put you out.”
“Either way, I just want you to get home safely.”
“Thanks.”
She followed him to the alley behind the bar. He jumped into the truck’s bed and opened a metal locker. After rooting around for a minute, he cursed under his breath. The one time he needed the damn things and they weren’t in the truck.
“I could have sworn I had cables with me,” he muttered.
“It’s okay. I can walk.”
He locked the lid then jumped down. “Where are you staying tonight? Your mom’s? That’s close enough to walk to.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m staying at the Morning Glory Econo Lodge. My mom’s studio is tiny.”
“Do you need to pick up your son tonight?”
“No. I told her I’d be back in the morning. I just needed a night off.”
“Kids are a lot of work, huh?”
“Yeah, but totally worth it.”
He shrugged. “Wouldn’t know.”
“You never had any with anyone else?”
“There hasn’t been anyone else.” At least not anyone important. Sure, he’d had the occasional fling, but nothing resembling a relationship. Nothing like what they’d shared together before he’d joined the Marines.
She said, “Well, I’d be happy to drive you home in your car.”
“You can’t stay with me.”
She frowned. “I didn’t ask to stay. Look, if you don’t want my help. No problem. Stay here and sober up. I can walk to the Econo Lodge.”
“It’s on the other side of town.”
“The town’s only four blocks square. I’m sure I can walk there without a problem.”
He shook his head. No way would he let a lone woman walk through a snowstorm alone. Whatever issues they had could be set aside long enough to get her to the hotel safely.
He said, “Come on. I’ll let you drive my truck to the hotel. We can just leave it there and I’ll walk back to the bar.”
As she stepped toward the truck, her foot slid enough to throw her off balance. He lunged forward and caught her in his arms. A rush of almond-scented soap filled the air. He’d never forget her signature scent. It wasn’t even perfume. Apparently, she still liked those girly oatmeal almond soap bars she’d always used. During the time they’d been apart, he hadn’t been able to smell almonds without thinking of her.
As she righted herself, she pushed away from his chest. Frigid air swirled between them to whisk away any trace of heat. But he still felt it all the way to the soles of his feet. God, he wanted her. Even after all this time, he couldn’t close his eyes without seeing her face. To have her standing in front of him with such a look of vulnerability broke something inside of him. A dam of emotion rushed up to drown him in desire.
She stood less than a foot from him, close enough to kiss, close enough to pull her into his arms and never let go.
As he moved closer to her, she took a step back. “We should get going.”
He sighed and looked away. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Before he could do something he’d end up regretting, he turned and walked toward the passenger side. Wind whipped away the crunch of her small footsteps as she moved toward the driver’s side. Although he wasn’t exactly sober, he’d do whatever he could to protect her and get her home safely.
Clearly, the beer had messed up his usual ability to control his emotions. His inner bear roared in turmoil. He wanted the soft, beautiful woman spread out and ready for a night of passionate sex. But that’s all it would be. And what would be the point? He could have meaningless sex with a bevy of willing women, so why open up a can of worms by going after the only woman who’d ever rejected him?
“Thanks,” she said.
“Just be careful. She’s brand new.”
“Your truck?”
“Yeah, the ranch did pretty well last year.”
“That’s good. I’m glad things are going well for you,” she said softly.
He glanced at her. A faint beam of light slanted through the window to reflect the delicate features on her face. Her plump pink lips mashed together as she twisted the ignition key. The truck roared to life.
The trek from her car to the truck had taken less than five minutes, but by the time they’d arrived, he was already half-frozen. He couldn’t imagine how cold she was, but he had a pretty good idea. As her body shivered, her teeth chattered. Distressed by her disheveled state, he quickly turned on the heater. A blast of warm air swirled through her hair. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat and looked away.
A couple of minutes later, they pulled into the Econo Lodge parking lot. He wanted to make sure she made it to her room safely, so he jumped out of the truck. It was a terrible move which left him listing to one side. Damn beer. Now he remembered why he always hated drinking.
