One Last Dance (Oak Grove Series Book 2)

by Stopper, Nancy

  She’d refused Karen’s invitations numerous times in the past, not wanting to step foot in a small town that would conjure memories she’d sooner forget. Finally, the pressures of a job she didn’t love and the prospect of a few days of relaxation had worn her down, and she’d accepted. She’d had no plans to get so entrenched with Karen’s friends so quickly or so easily. Not with what she knew about small towns and the people who lived there.

  And Joey was nothing if not small town. She’d recognized it even before he’d admitted it last night. He’d lived here his entire life and knew everyone and disliked anyone who didn’t agree with his opinions of his hometown. She could tell by the look he’d flashed her when she’d mentioned New York. Shoot, he was probably even friends with the local police, like her father had been. She knew men in a place like Oak Grove; friends could become enemies, people protected and looked out for their own, and sometimes well-meaning neighbors turned a blind eye to things happening right in front of them. She hoped better of Joey, but she’d reserved judgement.

  She’d watched him with the couple and the little girl at the table in the coffee shop. He appeared genuinely pleased to see them. She didn’t know who they were to him, but the little girl’s face reflected pure happiness. And Joey’s smile had been easy and comfortable.

  But looks could be deceiving. Brittany and her sister had always screwed on a smile so the adults around them wouldn’t know the reality that was their life.

  They’d long since left the closer-together buildings of the small town, and outside the window were wide open spaces. Before long the road narrowed, and the open shoulders gave way to large trees, their branches full of thick green leaves. They rode in silence, Joey shooting glances her way from time to time but saying nothing. Was he thinking about—how Karen had hijacked his day?

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” His voice rang out across the cab of the truck, startling her.

  She didn’t mind hiking. Most of her childhood had been spent running through the woods behind her house, climbing trees, and fishing in a nearby creek. Anything to escape her home. And her parents. To look at her now, you’d never know she grew up a tomboy, her knees skinned and her hair hanging loose and stringy. Her time alone, or with her sister, in the outdoors had been the only peace she could find growing up. But she’d left her hometown and her entire childhood, behind when she went to college, and she’d never looked back. “I am. I’m looking forward to it. Surprisingly so. I don’t get to do anything like this very often in the city.”

  “I bet.” His words came out more as a mumble.

  The insult stung. She’d show him soon enough, so she let it pass for now. Instead, she focused on their dance last night—his big protective arm around her waist, his smell of bar food, leather and outdoors. The way he’d led her around the floor, his hand wrapped firmly around hers and his knees brushing her thighs. His breath on the top of her head as he’d pulled her close.

  She’d wilted under the spell he cast over her.

  She’d responded by wrapping her arms around him, seeking a cozy spot of safety from the pain of the past, which he’d unknowingly offered, as the strains of a love ballad echoed through the empty bar.

  She doubted he’d felt anything like what she had, based on the quick path he’d beat to the door as soon as the song ended.

  As they drove deeper into the forest, her shoulders relaxed from where they had crept up toward her ears. The butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach stilled, and her breathing grew steadier. She was always amazed at how a peaceful setting could calm her. She felt at home. More than she had in the eight years since she’d moved to the city. She’d thought running away from her past, never to return, would give her peace. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe turning her back on some of the best parts of her childhood because of some of the worst was the wrong answer. Could she find a way to have both?

  Before long, Joey pulled the truck into a dirt-covered patch in front of a metal gate. A path extended beyond the gate and wound into the woods. He shut off the truck and then turned to her. “We’ll walk in from here.”

  “Where’s here?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Boy, today was going to be a riot if all their conversations consisted solely of two-word sentences.

  Before Brittany had a chance to climb out, Joey threw open the door, wandered to the back of the truck, and fiddled with something. She scrambled out, tugging her T-shirt down. “Can I help with anything?”

  “Nope, I’ve got everything covered. I’d planned to come out alone anyway.”

  “Obviously, so why didn’t you just tell Karen no?”

  Joey shot her a look that told her maybe she didn’t want to hear the answer. He mumbled under his breath again.

  “All right, that’s it. Go ahead and get it all out.”

  Joey ran his hand through his hair, spinning away from her for a minute before turning back. “You’re right. I didn’t want you to come hiking with me. I’d been looking forward to this time alone all week.”

  “Then why did you agree to let me come?” She threw her hands in the air and stomped her feet like a petulant child. She hadn’t meant to yell, but her peaceful feelings were quickly being replaced with unsettling ones, reminders of the past she’d rather stay there.

  “I don’t know, okay?” A clear look of exasperation crossed his face, and then his eyes locked on hers.

  With his eyebrows raised and his jaw tight, he looked as ridiculous as this situation was. Neither of them were happy that Karen had roped them into this.

  The corner of Brittany’s mouth quirked, and the pressure built in her gut until she couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Not a quiet, simple one, but a full-out belly laugh. She doubled over, clutching her stomach as she continued to laugh. Eventually she stood and wiped the tears from her eyes, only to see Joey had joined in her laughter.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you,” he said.

  “It’s okay.” Tears still flowed down Brittany’s face. “Let’s relax and have fun for a few hours.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  The creases on his forehead relaxed and his jaw eased. His features softened and she was reminded of the man she’d met last night, not the tense man who had driven her here.

  “Here. Put some of this on.” He extended a green can to her.

  “Thanks. I guess I’m unprepared.”

  “Not a problem. I’ve got everything we’ll need. And Emma packed us a huge lunch. We’ll be fine.”

  Brittany made quick work of the bug spray and returned it to Joey, who tucked it into a side pocket of his backpack. He then hauled the pack onto his back and motioned Brittany toward the path in front of the truck. She ducked under the gate while Joey vaulted over it, and they walked up the path.

  Sweet freshness from the flowering trees filled the clean, warm air. The trees differed from the ones found in her native Montana, but the view was the same. The deep green leaves on the trees formed a canopy over the two of them, streaks of light darting down and painting pictures on the ground in front of her. Before she knew it, she was skipping over the splashes of light much like she had as a kid. She had some good memories from her childhood. But the good ones were always overshadowed by the bad ones, the ones that had driven her away. With her focus on the path, she didn’t see that Joey had stopped until she smacked into his back.

  “Oh, sorry. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

  Joey laughed. “If you were, you wouldn’t have missed this.”

  He gestured to a gentle creek that wound its way among the trees and bushes. Rocks of various sizes formed rapids, the water rising, dipping, and falling over them in a melodious rhythm. Brittany stood transfixed, unable to look away. Her eyes glazed over, and the steady stream of water hypnotized her.

  This was the sort of peacefulness she missed while living in the city. She could sit here and just stare at the water
, allowing the gentle rushing sound to fill her mind with hope, like the water could wash away everything bad that had happened in her life.

  “I bet it would be great going over those rapids in an inner tube. I remember when I…” Oh crap, she’d said too much. What was it about Joey that made her tongue loosen, tell him stuff she’d kept hidden since the day she’d left home?

  “Inner tubing? What do you know about inner tubing down a river? I don’t think they have too many rapids in Central Park, if I’m not mistaken.” Joey’s words sounded harsh, but the laughter in his voice betrayed his true emotions.

  “I’ll have you know, I’m a small-town girl myself. Born and raised in Whitefish, Montana.”

  Joey reeled back like she’d struck him before breaking out in raucous laughter of his own, bent over, his hands on his knees. “No way. You’re a city girl, through and through.”

  Brittany stood above him, hands on her hips. “Are you quite finished?”

  “No way you’re a small-town girl.”

  “I am. Whitefish has about eight thousand residents. At least it did when I lived there.” He didn’t have to know she hadn’t been there since she’d left it in her rearview mirror the day she’d turned eighteen.

  “Naw, I don’t buy it. I think from now on I’ll call you ‘City Girl’.”

  “Suit yourself. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true.” She snapped her head up and stuck her nose in the air. She’d show him, even if he didn’t believe her. Although the nose in the air likely confirmed more about what he thought of her than the reality of her life. She didn’t care. She was enjoying herself, and nothing Joey said was going to change that.

  She walked a good distance down the path before she realized he hadn’t followed her. Instead, he was still perched on the outcropping of rocks over the stream. “You coming?”

  “Where? We’re here.” Joey gestured to his left, and Brittany spotted a small cabin nestled beneath the trees, the wide front porch built from rough-hewn logs beckoning to her to sit and relax and enjoy the peaceful sights and sounds of the woods.

  Joey headed up the path toward the cabin, and Brittany followed. “What is this? A tourist stop or ranger station?”

  Joey gestured. “My cabin.”

  Brittany stopped in her tracks, her mouth open. “You own this?”

  “Yep.”

  She stared at the rustic log cabin. Her mind raced as she followed him meekly up the path. Nostalgia washed over her. She would have picked a cabin like this for herself… if she hadn’t sworn never to live in a small town ever again. Two rocking chairs flanked the broad front door that Joey opened. She hesitated to follow him inside, not wanting to invade what was clearly his private space. He hadn’t wanted her to join him today, and now she knew why. If she had a retreat like this where she could go to be alone, she wouldn’t share it with anyone, either.

  She stood in the doorway, surveying the room in front of her, as he dropped his pack and proceeded into the cabin.

  To her left, a large stuffed couch faced a fieldstone fireplace extending from the floor to the vaulted ceiling above her. A kitchenette stretched across the back wall with a small stove, microwave, and refrigerator. To the right of the kitchen, a door stood open, revealing a small bedroom with a wrought-iron bed nestled under the window which let in the sun and showcased the majestic trees behind the cabin. A closed door sat on the other side wall, presumably the bathroom. Unless he didn’t have a bathroom. A cabin like this, she wouldn’t be surprised.

  “Wow.”

  Joey snapped around at her exclamation, a puzzled look on his face.

  “This is fantastic.”

  His features softened. “Thanks.”

  “Do you live here?”

  “Not full time. I bought it a few years back as a place to get away. No one knows about it. Not my family. No one. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anyone about it.”

  “Absolutely.” With every minute she spent with him, she discovered more and more things they had in common. She wouldn’t share a perfect hideaway like this with her friends, either.

  Joey grabbed a couple of water bottles from a cabinet and tossed her one before walking past her and out the door. She followed and found him standing with his hands braced on the wooden railing, staring out over the creek flowing nearly in his front yard. Not wanting to disturb him, she sank into one of the inviting rocking chairs, pouring cool water into her mouth from the water bottle before letting out a huge exhale.

  Joey turned and took a long drink from his bottle. Her eyes focused on his throat as he swallowed. Tingles ran through her body.

  “So, tell me about this small town you grew up in.”

  Brittany opened her mouth to give her stock answer and then closed it again. For some reason, a flippant response didn’t seem appropriate. Joey took another drink of his water, his gaze fixed on her.

  “Typical small town. Dad had an hourly job working for the railroad. Mom waited tables at the local diner. I have a sister who’s two years younger than I am.” She wouldn’t mention how much her reality differed from the glossed-over picture she’d painted.

  Joey shook his head. “I’d have never guessed it.”

  “I left as soon as I turned eighteen, and I’ve never looked back. Went to school at NYU, and I’ve been working in the city ever since. As a matter of fact, I recently passed the Architect Registration Exam and became a fully-licensed architect.”

  “Congrats.” He didn’t seem impressed. That was okay. He didn’t need to be. She’d worked her ass off to earn her degree and prove herself in a man’s world. If only she enjoyed the job as much as she’d hoped to.

  “Thanks.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why haven’t you been back home since you left?”

  Of course, he’d picked up on that nugget. The one thing she had no interest in discussing with him. With anyone. Ever.

  Chapter Five

  A SEA OF EMOTIONS washed over Brittany’s face faster than Joey could catalog them. She hid something below the surface, a secret she’d buried deep. She brought the water to her mouth, drawing his attention to her rounded lips wrapped around the mouth of the bottle.

  The hike into the cabin challenged even the most fit, the uphill path riddled with rocks and fallen tree branches. She’d not only trekked it easily, she’d practically skipped up the path. He’d seen a lightness in her he hadn’t seen earlier, with her eyes soft and her jaw relaxed. A stark contrast from the strong, sophisticated city girl he’d spied at the bar last night. Now this girl—he wanted to know her better.

  She continued watching him before she finally spoke, lowering her eyes as she did. “Why haven’t I gone home? It was no one thing. It was a long way to go. It cost a lot. I was too busy. Lots of reasons.”

  Joey shook his head and took a drink of his water. Anything to keep from staring at her. “Nope. I don’t buy it. Nobody leaves their family without another word unless they have a good reason.”

  Her eyes snapped to his. He’d touched a nerve.

  “I’ve stayed in contact with my sister. She moved to Missoula a couple of years after I left.” Brittany looked out over the porch into the wide expanse of nature behind him, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. “What about you? Tell me about this family you’re keeping this huge secret from.”

  Nice deflection, City Girl. What was she hiding behind her avoidance? “Not much to tell. My oldest brother Lucas is a paramedic in Oak Grove. I told you about him and his fiancée last night. You might have seen them in Mug ’n Muffin. They recently got engaged. My other brother is a lawyer. Then I have a younger sister, Rachel…”

  He remembered his conversation with Lucas and the fact Rachel had blown off another shift.

  “What?” Brittany asked, and he realized he’d stopped talking. “You were telling me about your sister Rachel.”

  “Oh, yeah, well. She lives in town. I don’t see her much anymore.”

  “Why’s that?”
<
br />   Shane. That’s how Joey wanted to respond. He lifted his eyes and gave his stock answer. “She’s busy, I guess. Got a boyfriend we don’t like very much. They keep to themselves.”

  Brittany’s brows furrowed and her expression darkened. “What do you do when you come out here?”

  Another deflection. Each time he thought he’d dug beneath the tough shell to explore what she hid deeper, she redirected the conversation back to him. “Sometimes I hike in and spend a few hours, or a night, relaxing. Fishing’s pretty good, and I have a boat I can take upstream where the catfish and bass are always biting.”

  “What was your plan for today before I crashed your party?”

  “Not much. I wanted to get away for a few hours. The work leading up to the grand reopening has been brutal, and I needed to recharge before I made it through the rest of the weekend.”

  Brittany’s expression softened as he spoke. Maybe she understood better than he realized. It couldn’t be easy finding alone time in New York. That’s why he’d never move to the city—no matter what anyone said or who asked. The city reminded him of what he’d lost when Shelby left him. No woman was worth leaving the peace and quiet of Oak Grove.

  “How about we see if the fish are biting?”

  Was City Girl serious? “You sure?”

  “I suggested it, didn’t I?” The fire in her eyes mirrored the strong woman he’d met last night, not this softer, gentler one sitting in front of him now.

  “All right, then.”

  Joey collected his fishing gear and directed Brittany down the path toward the dock he’d built upstream from the rapids.

  “God, it’s so peaceful here.” Brittany walked down the grassy hill toward the dock and his fishing boat tied off beside it. She turned to him, and again he saw a mystery in her gaze. An emotion below the surface fighting to get out.

  “Guess you don’t find peaceful too much in the city?”

  She laughed. She had a great laugh. “No, not too much. But…”