A gaping, bleak emptiness gripped her. She wanted to run fast and far from the pain. Hadn’t that been exactly what she’d done after her dad left? Running straight into trouble hadn’t helped, and the drugs only numbed the hurt while permanently messing up her life. She knew that now. No matter how fast you run, your troubles stick with you like a shadow. Wanting to flee was her go-to response to emotional turmoil. Doing so in the past hadn’t solved anything, and it wouldn’t change anything now.
She was left with few options. What could she do? All she knew was that she wanted things with her ex over and done with for good. Sighing, she got up from her son’s bed and walked out of his room, closing the door behind her. For tonight, at least, she and her son were safe and secure.
She walked to the living room and paced, as if moving would bring her some kind of solution. A key fit into the living room door, and she stopped. Wesley and his dog walked inside, sending relief flooding through her.
“I called the marshals. They’re going to come take a look at your SUV, but I told them not to disturb us.” He slid out of his jacket and hung it in the front closet. She caught a glimpse of the handgun tucked into the back of his belt. He pulled down a metal lockbox from the shelf in the closet and put the gun away.
“Go get ready for bed, Carlie. Then come back out here and hang out with me on the couch for a while.” He glanced at her. “Unless you feel like you can sleep.”
“I can’t.”
“Before you get any ideas about having your wicked way with me, forget it.” He shoved one shoe off with the toe of the other.
“What?” She couldn’t have heard him right.
He shot her a teasing look, his eyes filled with warmth. “You’re in no shape to be alone right now. Stay with me until you’re calmer, and I promise to behave myself. Comfort and company. That’s it.”
“OK,” she said, raking her fingers through her hair. “You’re right. I don’t want to be alone. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Her mind had stopped functioning. She’d gone from panicked to fuzzy headed. The tension she’d been living under had depleted her. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she changed into flannel pajama pants, a sleep T-shirt and her extremely unsexy chenille robe. She slipped her bare feet into her slippers and padded to the living room.
Wes had his feet up on the coffee table. He held the remote for the TV in his hand. “I found a Christmas movie. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and they’re already showing Christmas movies.” He patted the couch beside him. Once she curled up next to him, he spread the throw over her lap and put his arm around her shoulders. “I put Rex in with Ty. The both of them are out for the night.”
“Good.”
“Do you have comprehensive insurance coverage on your car?”
“No.” Another worry to add to her list. “I only have the basics. The car is twelve years old, and I’ve been saving to buy a newer model.”
“Ted and Kyle work on cars out at the Lovejoys’ farm. The two of them do bodywork and mechanical stuff. I’ll talk to them about your car tomorrow. I’m sure we can work out a deal to get it fixed. It’s just a matter of throwing new tires on and replacing the windows and lights.”
She nodded again, gratitude stealing her voice.
“You’re wrong, you know,” he said after a few moments of silence.
Puzzled, she glanced at him. “About what?”
“At the Malloys’, you said I have no idea what it’s like for you.” He drew her closer. “I do understand, Carlie. When you’re living in a militarized zone, you’re always waiting for an IED to explode in your face, the next grenade to be launched into camp or the next raid. Every man, woman and child you meet on the street, you’re sure, is going to pull out a gun and shoot you dead.” He let out of huff of air and leaned his head back on the couch. “Shadows, rooftops, doorways and windows become a source of fear.”
He ran his hand up and down her arm. “The friendlies don’t look any different than the bad guys over there. Every pile of trash in the road or even mounded dirt could mean your death. It’s not safe to drive under a bridge, or pass by a house, a ditch or a hill. You’re surrounded by danger twenty-four-seven with no break, and you can’t ever let down your guard or relax. As you pointed out, you too have suffered long-term, sustained trauma. I imagine the feeling of never being safe is the same for the both of us, even though the cause is completely different.”
“I”—she cleared her throat—“I just get so tired of living under this dark cloud. The constant fear weighs a ton and drags me down. For a while there, I believed I was finally free of Jared, and I was beginning to trust my surroundings. Now I’m right back where I started, like I haven’t made any progress at all.”
He made a noise deep in his chest. “Wrong again, Carlie. You’ve made tremendous progress, and you have friends who care about you now.”
That much was true, and she was grateful for her new friends. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving.”
“And?”
“My brother didn’t invite me. My mom and grandmother did, and as much as I’d love to see them, I don’t want the added stress of coming face-to-face with my brother right now. I don’t want to expose myself or Tyler to Ron’s disapproval and judgment. Besides, I’m still hurting over the fact that he disowned me. If he wants to rekindle our relationship, he knows where to find me.” She stared at her lap. “I guess I’m looking for permission to tell my mom not this year. What do you think?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is what you can and cannot handle. You have a son to think of, Carlie. The best thing you can do for Ty is to take care of yourself. If you feel going to your mom’s for the holiday will only add to your stress, then don’t do it.”
“I’ll call her tomorrow.” She felt liberated somehow. Even though she knew she didn’t need anyone’s approval for her decision, Wes’s words had been a balm. She had enough to deal with. She didn’t need to put up with another load of tension.
Wes twisted around, leaned against the corner of the sectional and stretched his legs out on the couch so that they covered her knees. “Come here. Lie down and put your head on my shoulder. Try to get some rest, Carlie. I’ll watch over you and Tyler.”
Wes was such a good man, how could she help but love him. I love him? Oh, God. Was it true, or was she just reacting to his role as her savior? Once things settled down, she’d have time to sort it out. Wes had been the object of her fantasies for so long she couldn’t be sure whether or not what she felt was real. Besides, objectivity was beyond her with him so close.
She stretched out, put her arm around his waist and snuggled up against him. “Do you know anything about a wager going on at L&L?” she mumbled through a yawn.
“Nope.” He made another one of those grunting noises. “I try to stay out of the nonsense that goes on at work.” Wesley kissed the top of her head and turned his attention to the Christmas movie.
Carlie peered at the TV. “Is that . . . are you watching the Hallmark Channel?”
“Don’t you have to work early tomorrow morning?” He squeezed her gently. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“It is the Hallmark Channel.” She grinned. “You’re a romantic.”
“If you out me, I’ll deny it,” he said in a stern voice.
“I won’t tell a soul.” Sighing, she snuggled closer and fell asleep, safe in Wesley’s arms.
CHAPTER NINE
WESLEY WOKE WITH A START. The arm he had wrapped around Carlie had gone numb. Lifting his head, he glanced at the clock on the shelves. Four in the morning. He’d slept five hours through the night without a single nightmare. How long had it been since he’d accomplished that feat? He couldn’t remember. Must be the sleep deprivation catching up with him.
Carlie made soft chuffing noises in her sleep—probably what woke him. A wave of tenderness worked its way through him. Damn, she was pretty. He shifted, trying to get some circulation back into
his arm. Sometime during the night, she’d flung a leg over him, and her arm rested across his chest. The scent of her shampoo filled his senses, and a soothing warmth spread where she pressed against him.
Bone-deep contentment filled him. The feeling was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Possessiveness gripped him, and his throat tightened at the intensity of the emotions welling up inside him. Leaning close, he brushed his lips against her temple.
She didn’t have to get up for another hour, and he was in no hurry to disentangle himself. Wes put his head back down and relished having Carlie stretched out beside him. The tension she was under was reaching a critical point, and she was showing the wear and tear. Jared had somehow managed to elude them all while continuing to stalk Carlie and Ty. Any day now the guy would make his move to get to them, and Wes wasn’t about to sit around and wait.
Ken’s suggestion that he and the guys perform their own special ops mission had been more and more on Wes’s mind. Brushing his jaw against Carlie’s silken hair, he thought about what needed to be done. If he and the guys did decide to pull their own mission, he’d have to talk to Paul and the marshals, get them on board. Keep it legal.
Half an hour before Carlie had to wake up, he slipped out of her hold and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Then he headed to his room for a quick shower and a change of clothes. By the time he returned to the living room, she was beginning to stir. He fixed them both mugs of coffee and returned to her. “I brought coffee. It’s time to get up, sweetheart.”
Carlie groaned, stretched and then pushed herself up to sitting. She brushed the hair from her face and reached for the coffee. “Mmm.” She took a sip and sighed. “Just what I need. I can’t believe I spent the whole night on your couch.”
A crease had formed across her cheek where she’d pressed against the seam of his shirt. Adorable. “You seemed so content I didn’t want to disturb you.” He sat beside her.
“Thanks for keeping me company until I fell asleep last night, and for the coffee this morning.” She put her mug down and folded the blanket he’d spread over them last night. “I need to shower, dress and get Tyler ready to go to Ceejay’s.”
“Why not leave Tyler here with me today? I’m sure the two of us can find something to do, and he could use a few more hours of rest.”
“You sleep all day, Wes. How would you watch him?”
“I slept with you on the couch last night. I might stretch out again until he wakes, but I’ve had enough rest for today.”
“We spent the night together?” She glanced at him in surprise.
He nodded, remembering how she fit so perfectly against him. “Once Tyler is up, I’ll bring him to the diner for breakfast. He’d like that.”
“That’s asking a lot. You’d be giving up another Saturday. With Tyler and me staying here and underfoot all the time, don’t you want the place to yourself for a while? Don’t you have things you want to do?”
“Yes. I want to spend the day with Ty. He’s a great kid, and I enjoy his company. I’ll take him to the park in town. There are bound to be some kids there he’ll know, and it’ll do him good to get out in the fresh air and play. It’s supposed to be a nice day. The temps are going to reach the sixties.”
Her expression turned wary. “The park is too open. I don’t want Tyler in a place where Jared can get to him.”
“I’ll call the guys. I have to talk to Kyle and Ted about your car today anyway. I wouldn’t put Tyler in danger, Carlie. You know that.” He’d also call Ken. Hopefully, all three would meet him at the park in the afternoon, and they could talk about putting a plan together—something to flush Jared out into the open.
“You really want to watch my six-year-old?” Doubt clouded her features.
“I do. Tyler and I are buddies, and buddies spend time together.”
“All right. Have it your way. That means I have a little more time to drink my coffee before I have to shower. I’ll call the Langfords and let them know Ty isn’t coming over.” The corners of her mouth turned up. “So, how was the rest of the Hallmark movie last night?”
“Beats me.” He chuckled and reached for his mug. “I started to doze, so I turned it off and fell asleep.” With you wrapped in my arms. Another wave of tenderness hit him square in the solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him. What would it be like to fall asleep each night with Carlie beside him, or to wake every morning tangled up with her?
“Sure you did.” She laughed.
“Laugh all you want. It’s true.” Wes picked up his phone from the coffee table. “I’ll text the marshals. Since I’m watching Ty, I won’t be able to walk you to the diner, and I want them close to you.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” Carlie tensed. “I . . . I’ve gotten so used to having you there for me when I go to work . . .”
He couldn’t help the rush of pride her words evoked. She’d come to rely on him, and whether they intended for it to happen or not, they were building trust. “I’ll stand outside the front door and keep an eye on you.” He texted his message, hoping one of the marshals was up. He got an immediate response. “Pelletier will be watching from across the street.”
“I’ll be so glad when this is over. It’s going to take my nerves a year to settle down again.” Carlie rose, put her arms over her head and stretched. Her robe had come untied, revealing a slice of bare skin where her shirt met her pajama pants.
Wesley’s pulse raced, and it was no easy task keeping his hands where they belonged. He wanted to pull her close, nibble that bit of skin, kiss his way down to . . . He gripped his mug and steered his wayward thoughts—not to mention his eyes—in a different direction.
“I’m going to go shower,” Carlie said, picking up her coffee.
New images flooded his mind—Carlie naked, slick with soap and standing under a stream of hot water. Not helping. He shifted, trying to ease the tightness of his jeans. Holding his mug above the obvious effect the visuals in his head were having on his anatomy, he hoped like hell she didn’t notice. “I’ll be here.” She walked away from him, and he imagined himself in the shower with her. Forcing himself to stay put, he drank his coffee and waited.
Forty-five minutes later, Wes stood on the sidewalk in front of L&L and watched Carlie walk alone down the sidewalk. He searched the shadows and doorways for any sign of Jared. Pelletier sat in his vehicle across the street, and as soon as Carlie got a block down, the marshal started his car and followed. Wes waited until she disappeared through the door of the diner before he turned back into L&L, set the alarm and climbed the stairs to his apartment. He stretched out on the couch, keeping an ear open to his surroundings, and closed his eyes.
He must’ve nodded off again, because the sound of a door opening and Rex’s nails clicking against the floor woke him. Wes glanced at the clock. He’d managed another couple of hours of sleep. Good. He needed to think clearly today.
Ty walked into the living room, his hair a tangled mess and sticking up all over. Wes couldn’t keep from smiling at the sight. “Hey, partner, good morning.”
“Morning.” Tyler tied the belt of his bathrobe. “I’m supposed to be at the Langfords’ house,” he said as he climbed onto the couch.
“I talked your mom into letting the two of us hang out together today. Rex needs to go outside. Will you be all right on your own for a few minutes?”
“Yeah.” Tyler picked up the remote and found a channel with cartoons.
“While I’m gone, go fill Rex’s food bowl like I showed you. One full scoop.”
Tyler grinned and slid off the couch. “OK.”
Ty ran off to the kitchen, and Wes turned toward the door with Rex at his side. Once he was standing between the buildings, he sent a few texts. Ted and Kyle got back to him right away, agreeing to take a look at the damage to Carlie’s Ford, and then they’d join him at the park. He didn’t hear back from Ken, but that didn’t surprise him. It was still early, and Ken might still be sleeping.
Rex finished taking care of business, and the two of them made their way back to the third floor. Tyler was on the couch watching cartoons again. “Hungry?” Wes asked.
Tyler nodded. A man of few words. Wes grinned. “I thought we’d head down to the diner to have breakfast with your mom. You in?”
That got another nod, this one more enthusiastic. Tyler shut off the TV and hopped down. “I’ll go get dressed.”
“Brush your teeth while you’re at it—and that hair.” That last part got an answering grumble. Wes chuckled, and then his phone chimed. He pulled it out of his pocket. Ken had texted:
About time, bro. See you in the park at one.
Good. Taking the offensive felt good, gave him a sense of purpose and forward momentum. Ty returned, dressed, but with his hair still spiked and tangled. It looked as if he hadn’t used a brush all month. Wes shook his head. “Go brush your hair, partner. Your mom will think I don’t know how to look after you if you don’t.”
“I did!”
“Do it again. Wet it down a little this time.”
Tyler stomped off, and Wes’s grin turned into another chuckle. Tyler came back, his hair dampened, but not in any better shape. Pick your battles. He glanced at the shelf inside the closet and pulled down a baseball cap with a USMC patch on the front. He tightened it as far as it would go and plopped it backward onto Tyler’s head. “Let’s go. I’m starving.” He held out Ty’s jacket.
“Me, too.” Tyler took off the cap, studied it for a minute and put it back on. “Can I keep it?” He peered hopefully at Wes.
“Sure.” He squished the too-large cap down on the kid’s head. “You’ll grow into it eventually.” Hand in hand, they made their way downstairs and out the front door, heading the two blocks down the street to the diner. Wes scanned the area and kept Tyler close to his side. Perfect was a quiet place on Saturday mornings, and not much in the way of traffic rolled through town this early in the day. “Would you like to head to the park this afternoon?”
The Twisted Road to You (Perfect, Indiana Book 4) Page 15
