Black Creek Burning (The Black Creek Series, Book 1)

by R. T. Wolfe

  In that one small gesture, Nathan felt his IQ drop thirty points. Reaching for her, Brie shook her head at him and continued painfully slow down the buttons of her shirt. Brilliant morning sunlight shone on the side of her. She was just as irresistible in her cotton and jeans as she was in her cashmere. The wind whistled through the trees from the windows behind her. And he was lost.

  Pulling the unfastened shirt over just her shoulders, she left it covering her chest and toed off her shoes. As she pulled it down her arms, her fingers brushed over herself before exposing the matching, blue lace underneath. The shirt dropped as did her hands down the center of her stomach ending at the top of her jeans. Was she trying to make him crazy?

  His grip was firm where he held onto the arms of the chair. Rotating her back to him, she pooled her jeans around her ankles, then stepped out, a perfect mixture of lightly bronzed muscle and feminine curves. Reaching behind, she released the clasp of the lace and slipped it from her shoulders. She added the rest to the growing pile at her feet and turned. His breath caught. She stood unashamed and all woman.

  Taking a step toward him, Brie stopped just out of arm's reach from his chair. Taken with intensity of both the physical and of his heart, he slid to the floor. Sitting on his heels, he pulled her to him. Pulled the most complex, amazing woman he'd ever known close to him. Burying his face in her stomach, he took hold of her ankles.

  Brie felt rough, possessive hands explore from the back of her heels, over her calves, behind her knees and up her thighs to her backside. As he stood, his lips followed a similar path.

  "You're beautiful," he whispered in her ear. "I found you. How did I ever find you?"

  Her legs trembled and caused her insides to ignite and her legs to weaken. He simply scooped her up and carried her to the messy bed. They rolled, joining lips and tongues and grazing teeth. Together they pulled his shirt from his shoulders.

  His fingers ran up to her throat, circling her neck before making his way to the back of her head and lacing his fingers through her hair. She felt needed and loved. She felt her breathing become short and ragged. She pulled off the rest of his clothes and swam in his awe as he trailed his fingers along the length of her arms. He reached her breasts. Holding each in his hands, he sunk to her.

  Grabbing hold of the back of his hair, she tried to pull him closer. She lay tucked under him, his mouth feasting. The palm of his hand pressed along her as he traveled to her center. She gasped as he pressed her over the glorious edge.

  Their bodies slid dampened with sweat. Trembling with aftershocks, she found him and sent him into his own growling moan. He moved his lips under her jaw, teeth grazing along her collar bone up to just below her ear. He took hold of her lobe with his teeth as she touched him.

  He clamped his hand to her, taking her back up and over. She cried out and grabbed his back. Rolling on top of him, she lifted and guided him to her. Her head turned slightly as he held onto her hips, pulling her against him until they both shook with need. She arched and, together, they cried out in release. Joined. Loved. Trusted. Spent. They fell back wrapped in a tangled mass.

  Nathan didn't know what way was up. He just knew their bodies were slicked together Brie was still trembling. He turned his head, placing his lips on her cheek before she rolled and collapsed next to him. "The coffee will be cold."

  "Coffee who?" She laid an arm over her eyes for a full minute before rolling off the side of the bed.

  He lifted on his elbow enough to watch her walk to the tiny sink. She took a sip of the tepid caffeine as she walked back with it to him. Watching her had him already feeling aroused. She handed him the covered paper cup. It was when she crawled back up to the pillows that he lost it and set the cup on the side table to take her again.

  * * *

  Nathan analyzed his work. The three days since they'd been back had been spent entirely on laying the base trim that now sat on smooth, finished and sealed hardwood. To him, the house was still missing a beamed ceiling at the top of the open, two-story foyer and a wooden arched entryway to the dining room. But it looked finished to anyone who didn't have access to the worn notebook resting comfortably in the back pocket of his faded jeans.

  Brie made no mention of the evening's board meeting. He knew she missed her students, missed her job. Liz's confidence in the outcome was helpful, but he didn't know that much about those kinds of things.

  The moving van would arrive in the morning and the house would become a home. He still had months of work to do with the kitchen, front door, deck, porch, shutters and all of the extras he had planned.

  He wondered if Brie would want him with her at the meeting. He would let her decide and if she didn't want him there, he would leave it at that.

  They both heard the squeal of the brakes from the bus. Brie came around the side of the house and met Nathan coming out the front door. They paused and locked eyes before continuing down the drive to meet Duncan and Andy.

  "Hey, Dad, Miss Chapman. Mrs. Whittier says good luck tonight."

  Duncan was incredibly mature for his age, Nathan thought, recognizing the taste of sarcasm in his voice.

  Brie winked at him. "Piece of cake."

  Andy took Brie's hand as they all walked up the gravel. "Will you come back tomorrow? Sean says you'll be back tomorrow. It's not fun without you."

  "I'm not sure how this works. How about I let you know as soon as I know?"

  "Are grandma and grandpa coming here? Are we going to their house?" Andy continued with his rapid fire questions.

  All eyes looked to Nathan for an answer.

  "Why don't you two go find something to snack on and we'll be just a minute."

  He tried to be casual, leaning back against her truck and pulling her to him. "I didn't know if you wanted me there. I should have asked."

  He felt her chest expand and release as he ran his hands over the back of her hair.

  "I've tried to picture it both ways," she said. "The board thought we were having a heady affair long before we were, but they're likely to stare and judge anyway. The thought of being without you tonight feels unsettling. I've never been in love before."

  Chapter 25

  He pulled her by the shoulders to an arm's length away and looked at her. "Say it again." He ran his hands over her shoulders, along her neck and held her face tightly.

  She smiled warmly at him. "I'm in love with you, Nathan."

  He pulled her forehead against his and closed his eyes tight before bringing their lips together.

  "Stop spying," Duncan yelled from the fridge with a banana in his mouth. He leaned in the doorway. "What're they doing?"

  "Kissing." Andy didn't turn to his brother but smiled wide.

  "Gross," Duncan said as he pulled out some lunchmeat and bread.

  * * *

  They took Nathan's truck, but would have opted for Brie's shorter pickup if he had known it would be so difficult to find a parking spot.

  "They decide this kind of thing in executive session," Brie said to him. "I have to tell you that regardless of the outcome, I need to move back home, Nathan." She looked like she was expecting an argument.

  "I figured." He knew it was coming and actually thought it would happen long before now.

  Taking a deep breath, Brie opened her mouth, then got the strangest expression before closing it again. She remained somber and quiet as they parked.

  There was a crowd hanging outside the back of the brick building adjacent to the parking lot. He took her hand as they walked closer. He could tell that she recognized people in the crowd. Her hand tightened around his.

  "These are parents of students I've had," she whispered. "Nathan, they look angry."

  "Not just parents. Look." He tilted his head to the right. Two cops were in the mix.

  Back straight, chin up, Brie walked to the edge of the crowd, excusing herself as she stepped through them. The crowd soon noticed her and started clapping. Slow at first, but soon they were a loud mass of bod
ies.

  A man walked through the crowd toward them. "We gave them an earful on their way into the building, Miss Chapman. We support you and let them know it." He shook her hand. "You kept our kids safe."

  The first officer approached her and also held out his hand. "Every situation is different and sometimes you have to use common sense. That's what you did, and that's what we told each of them on their way in." He shook gingerly. "When administration starts reprimanding staff for using their heads, we have to stick together. We'll go to the press if this goes badly tonight."

  "Thank you." She cleared her throat and spoke a little louder. "Thank you, everyone, for your support. It's... overwhelming."

  Nathan led her through the crowd into the building, but not without him noticing the stares at his hand on the lower part of her back. Brie was visibly relieved when they spotted her sister.

  As they hugged in greeting, Liz explained, "They have to publicly announce what they decided in executive session. It's first on the agenda after the motioning of approval for the minutes of last month's meeting."

  Liz led them to skinny metal chairs with blue-gray cushions. The board members sat around a huge kidney-shaped table covered in a white drop cloth that reminded him of a wedding party table. Each member, plus the superintendent, assistant superintendents and the press had a shiny name plate and a microphone at their seat.

  Odd, for such a compact area, Nathan thought.

  Brie looked glazed over as they listened to corrections to the board minutes from the last meeting. He didn't get all of it. All he knew was that his girl needed to get back to work.

  "Second the motion?" Brie jerked to attention. In response to the raise of a hand from a rather hefty board member in a floral dress, the president continued, "Note the second motion was from Alisha Harris, and let's move on to other business."

  The board president was easy to distinguish, wooden gavel and all.

  "Meeting in executive session, the board, in cooperation with the Northridge Education Association, has made a decision regarding the lockdown procedure that took place March eighteen of this year at Bloom Elementary. Principal Sandy Finley was dismissed and teacher Brianna Chapman will retain her teaching position with a letter of reprimand placed in her permanent file. Next business is to recognize our winter athletes... "

  He hadn't noticed she'd been holding her breath until it came out all at once. Her eyes went first to his. Warm and glowing, she had the prettiest smile he'd ever seen.

  Next, Brie's eyes turned to her other side to Liz, who didn't look as relieved.

  "We'll fight the reprimand," Liz mouthed.

  Brie ignored Liz's comment and looked like she might bounce out of her seat. "I do go back tomorrow, right?"

  "Yes. Aren't you at all mad? Did you see the crowd out back? And they're still going to write you up?"

  Brie didn't seem to be listening. She kissed her sister on the cheek, slid her arm through his and looked back up at him. "Take me home, Reed."

  As they drove, Brie looked out the window. "I had no idea how relieved I would feel. Relieved and alive."

  "I need to swing by my folks to get the kids." He played with the hair that escaped her pins and danced around her neck.

  "I've never seen your parents' home. I can't wait to tell Andy about all the work he's going to have in the morning," she said mischievously. "You dress up well, Reed. I'm in love with you."

  His hand tightened on the wheel, but his eyes stayed straight. He moved his other hand down to join with hers.

  * * *

  They celebrated with a game of Uno before tucking the kids in their beds.

  "The moving van comes tomorrow." Brie thought Nathan's eyes lit as she said so. "You'll be surprised at how much we have. I hope to have most of it out and the extra boxes hidden before you get back from work."

  "You sound like Mr. Mom."

  "That's not an insult."

  "I'll walk myself home tonight. You stay with the kids."

  "Take my truck."

  "Just around the corner? On this gorgeous night? I'll walk across the creek. You can watch me."

  And she knew he would.

  Brie stopped when she reached her yard, the usual unsettling feeling crept up her back. Macey stood panting comfortably and Brie smiled. Unlocking the back door to the garage, she went in that way.

  She let Macey out the front and headed to the mailbox in the dark. She paused at the faint lilac smell of the arrowhead viburnum, enjoying the scents of spring. She stood with Macey at her feet looking at her mother's dianthus that were turning green with the warming temperatures. Checking the locks behind her, she grabbed a granola bar before heading up for bed.

  The phone rang as she lay in the dark. She almost didn't answer. The only calls she's gotten this late were silent.

  "Hello?"

  "You aren't as sneaky as you think you are."

  "Nathan."

  "You sound shaky. You okay?"

  "Of course. Locked up nice and tight."

  "After your stroll around the front in the dark, alone?"

  "How do you know?"

  "Again, you're not as sneaky as you think you are. Macey wouldn't have let you go to bed without letting her out and your back light never went on."

  "That's just a little creepy, Reed."

  "I also know you slip the kids' lunches in their backpacks every day except pepperoni pizza day."

  "Wow."

  "Did I wake you? Where are you?"

  Brie grinned while cozied up in her sheets in the dark. "I'm standing at my lingerie drawer deciding between a sheer, silk teddy or black lace for bed."

  She heard something thump through the receiver.

  "You're killing me. I've never seen the black."

  "I'm a little top heavy for that one and sometimes fall right out of it." She bit her bottom lip, stifling a laugh.

  "I could come over and help you choose."

  "Sleep, Nathan. Big day tomorrow."

  She barely had time to roll over after hanging up before the phone rang again. "That's all the phone sex I can offer for one night, Reed. Go to bed." But there was no answer. She could hear breathing. "Nathan?" More breathing, then disconnect. She broke her own rule and whistled for Macey to come up and sleep at her feet.

  * * *

  The morning was crisp and the ground dry. Brie stopped by to pick up Nathan's anxious dog and ran with Macey on her left and Goldie on her right. They had worked up to a mile and a half, but Brie still cut their usual route short and ran along the floodplain. The ground was rock hard and the wild flowers stunted. One good rain would bring them all to life, Brie thought as they ran.

  She chuckled to herself at the four-wheeler in the field. It was a sure sign of spring when the snowmobiles were gone and the four-wheelers came out. She didn't completely trust Goldie yet to control himself around a vehicle that drove much like a spunky rabbit, and she guided him over to Macey's side. Brie thought about the materials she would need to prepare for her first day back. She felt amazing running her lover's dog with hers and thinking of what to pack for the boys' lunches.

  The sensation at the back of her head was confusing. She wasn't sure what happened. Just that one minute she was running and the next she was rolling down the floodplain, tangled in leashes and landed halfway in the cold water. The back of her head felt warm, wet. And then there was pain. Sheering, mind-numbing pain. She couldn't move and the sky grew darker before it blackened all together.

  * * *

  Duncan stood at the kitchen window in shock.

  He'd been watching Miss Chapman and the dogs. They'd almost made it back to the house. He noticed the four-wheeler and thought it might be following them, but he was too preoccupied with the idea that she might have forgotten about making his lunch to pay close attention.

  Then, he saw the bat. So badly he wanted to yell out to her, but nothing came out of his mouth, just like now. He watched the dogs bark hysterically. Goldie tried to wr
estle free of his leash. He jerked her around in the mud like a rag doll. Macey lay next to her limp body, setting her snout on Miss Chapman's shoulder.

  No, Duncan thought. No, no, no, no! He'd already lost a mom.

  He watched Goldie flip around in panic, then pull her farther into the frigid water. Eventually, the dog wrestled his leash free and raced toward home. Using his teeth to turn the mudroom door knob, Duncan heard him come in, barking madly and leaving muddy prints throughout the house. He remained like a statue as he heard an ear-piercing scream. Then he realized it was coming from him.

  Chapter 26

  Nathan was upstairs when he heard Duncan and the dog. He could tell it wasn't a simple scuffle between the boys or a skinned knee. He passed Andy in the hall while wiping shaving cream from his face. Throwing the hand towel over the banister, he took the stairs two at a time.

  When he reached the kitchen, the situation was easy to analyze and threw him into overdrive. Duncan was standing, intact, looking out the kitchen window that faced out back. He was still screaming at the top of his lungs. Goldie dangled his leash from his neck as he barked like mad, jumping and spreading black mud all over the kitchen floor. He didn't bother to look out the window at what Duncan could see. He knew it had to be Brie and that it was bad.

  He darted for the garage with Andy on his heels. His mind raced, when he saw the yellow of her fleece jacket.

  Brie was lifeless, half in the cold creek water with Macey's snout lying across her. He couldn't breathe. He used the adrenaline from the slap of grief and grabbed a nearby packing blanket as he turned to Andy. He spoke loudly over Duncan who was still screaming in the kitchen. "Call nine-one-one. Can you do that, son?" Andy nodded and went for the phone as Nathan sprinted out the back door.

  As he ran, he heard himself yelling no over and over again. Frantically, he watched for movement. There was only Macey whimpering with her head resting protectively on Brie.

  He skimmed clumsily down the cracked floodplain, sliding across the dried green of the wildflowers. Ignoring the fallen log, he splashed his boots through what was left of the creek water to reach her and skidded onto his knees.