“Izzy okay?”
“She’s fine.”
“You said she’s having nightmares?”
Callie sank into a kitchen chair and looked at him. Tonight had been weird, wonderful, but stressful too. She sank her fingers into her hair and shoved it back from her face. “Lots of bad things have happened to them lately so it’s no wonder. Emma was sick for such a long time. First there were doctors and chemo, and then the misery of watching their mom fade into a shadow of what she’d been before. Emma tried. She was just so tired at the end.” Tears filled Callie’s eyes, and she rubbed her fingers across them. There was no time for this now while so much needed to be figured out. Through the inner dilemma and outward display, Mac remained silent. “It was always just Emma and me. Did you know that?”
She looked at him and wondered why she chose this moment to unburden herself. “We were in foster care most of our lives. Our mother left us when we were just little girls. Five and seven.”
“I didn’t realize.”
“I’m not sure most people knew.” Callie smiled a little. “It’s something Em and I never talked about with others. It was our story, ya know? We were lucky to find a foster home that was willing to take us both. So many sibs are split up, but not us. The Campbell’s had three other foster kids and really struggled with the bunch of us. They were good people and losing them years ago broke all of our hearts. We didn’t have money or cars with big bows on our sixteenth birthdays, but our lives weren’t bad. I really missed Emma after she married that rat bastard Darrell. He did everything he could to keep Emma from having a relationship with me but that ended when he went to prison. It seemed only natural that I move in here and help with the kids and finances. I’m glad I did.”
Mac moved forward, dragged his fingers across her cheeks, and Callie was horrified to realize she cried. “Oh, damn,” she whispered as she tried to duck away. “You don’t need to hear this hard luck story.”
“Don’t shut me out, Callie. If something concerns you, I want to know.” Then he surprised the hell out of her by hauling her to her feet and wrapping her in his arms.
To see the concern stamped on his face, to feel his tenderness, was suddenly too much. Callie buried her face against his chest as a choked sob escaped, but he only tightened his hold while she released the full force of grief. For once someone was going to dry her tears and hold her and support her. He smelled good. Like soap and something slightly citrusy. His breath moved warm against the top of her head as he rested his face there and at this moment, Mac seemed the only rock on which to cling. Roughly spoken murmurs reached her ears, and though she couldn’t understand his words, she hung on each one as her fingers clutched his back. Right now he was the only solid thing in her life, and she wasn’t about to let go.
“It’s okay, baby, let it out. You’ve been strong for too long.” Mac breathed the words into her ear then pressed his lips against her cheek, drinking her grief and tears. It was clear she was exhausted and struggling so bravely to tamp down all those sad emotions. Sunny, sweet Callie, the woman he’d long cared for, had reached rock bottom and all he knew to do was lift her back up. She sure as hell hadn’t deserved the cards she’d been dealt, and the whole situation damn near broke his heart. A shudder wracked her body then another wave hit her like a storm, so Mac did the only thing he could, the only thing he wanted.
He held her.
Mac brushed his lips over her temple then moved them over the soft, damp curve of her cheek and gently rounded chin before focusing on the side of her turned-up nose. The thick lashes surrounding those wide blue eyes were clumped with tears, and his heart turned over at the sight of them. Everything about her tempted him, heated his blood and encouraged his need to protect. The tender corner of her mouth compelled him to press his mouth there, continuing the gentle tasting, before he finally did what he’d wanted since the moment he’d first realized that he wanted more than friendship.
Mac couldn’t resist.
With the lightest touch, he caressed her trembling mouth with his, heard the quick intake of her breath then charged ahead despite her quick burst of hesitation. He needed her, wanted to taste, and was compelled to comfort. The tentative kiss burned through his system with a slow, singeing heat that raced through him like lightning.
“Let me in. Open for me.”
Callie’s breath hitched once then she gave up whatever fight she waged to sink against him, and Mac took full advantage by sinking his tongue deep. The light hold Callie had on his sides turned frantic, desperate. Mac tasted her fully and she returned the kiss with a wildness he never expected. She was vulnerable, but the moment was too ripe with discovery for him to stop now. Again and again, he brushed her tongue with his, swept the recesses of her mouth and tasted a desire that matched his own. What had begun as an attempt to comfort built into a white-hot moment that was wrong on several levels, not the least of them being Callie’s emotional state. Still, he kissed her, feeling the full press of her breasts burning against his ribs and the sudden image of taking her atop the rickety kitchen table bloomed in his mind.
His first time with Callie after so many years wouldn’t go down that way.
Oh hell no.
She deserved better and so did he. Mac would have her again, but not like this. His internal voice yelled at him to slow the fuck down, so he slid his thumb over the sweet curve of her jaw and broke the breath-stealing kiss. Holding her close, he touched his mouth to her forehead. “You’re breaking my heart. You know that, don’t you?”
She lifted her head, her eyes dreamy-looking before going wide. She blinked. Color splashed her cheeks and her lips were swollen from their kiss. “Oh Mac, I’m sorry. I’ve cried all over you. I hate losing control like this.”
If she wanted to pretend that hotter than hell kiss hadn’t happened, then okay, he could play that game—at least for now.
Hands down, holding Callie was the best feeling he’d had in longer than he could remember. The length of her back was soft beneath his palms, her waist a gentle curve that tempted his fingers. “Don’t apologize. You had to give in if only for a little while. Carrying around this kind of burden alone isn’t healthy for anyone, and I know for a fact you want to be strong for those kids.”
When Callie took a halting step back, Mac let her, though he immediately missed the feel of her body against him. She shook her head and sank back into the chair.
Mac wanted her.
Seemed he’d wanted her forever, but she was a woman with much on her mind and a smart man didn’t push. Nor did he take advantage. And as much as he wanted to get her under him in bed, Mac wanted more than tousled sheets and hot sex.
He wanted Callie’s heart. Felt like he’d wanted it forever.
There had been no thought in his mind of anything remotely romantic happening between them when he’d showed up at her door tonight. Truth was, he’d been worried about her, and though he loved ranching, it was pure bad luck that he’d scheduled a trip to a cattle auction in South Texas. Bad fucking timing, but he was here now, and he wouldn’t let Callie down when she needed help.
Red flags of color settled high on her cheeks. It wasn’t hard to see that Callie was unnerved by breaking down like this. Hoping to put her at ease, he sat in the chair closest to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. That’s all he’d planned to do, but then her pale hair tempted him enough to touch. Mac sent his fingers through the silky stuff and pushed the length behind her shoulder.
“This is embarrassing. I don’t usually cry in front of people.”
“These aren’t usual times.” Mac took her hand and leaned close. “Grieving is normal and nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve done some of that myself.”
“You mean when your dad died?”
He nodded. “I was just a kid. Fifteen. It felt like the end of the world.” He didn’t often discuss what had been the toughest time of his life. Spilling his guts wasn’t his thing but talking to Callie was easy. Mac frowned, remem
bering. “It was important to me that I be strong for Mom and Kate. Dad’s death was so sudden. I just remember knowing I’d lost my best friend, but I couldn’t let my feelings show. Didn’t think it was manly or some bullshit like that.”
“Men.” Callie managed a little smile and squeezed his hand.
“Guess so. We’re supposed to be tough and hard as nails, but sometimes we’re not. Don’t tell anybody I said that.”
Callie laughed a little. “Your secret is safe with me. I promise not to tell.” Her smile faded and her eyes softened as she studied him, obviously wondering how she could help.
Hell, she was the one grieving now, yet the way she cared about people made her special. Every emotion, every feeling seemed to radiate from her and just looking at her made him happy. She was honest.
Callie removed her hand from his and leaned back in her chair. “How did you handle it? You were awfully young.”
He shrugged. “It was my duty, at least I believed it was, to take care of Mom and Kate and that stuffing all those feelings down would work for me. In the end, it didn’t. I put a lot of responsibility on my shoulders for such a young kid, and I just wasn’t mature enough to ask for help. Buffalo Ridge was chocked full of good people willing to lend a hand, but I was determined to deal without all that.”
“How did that work for you?”
“Not all that great as it turned out, but eventually I got past it. Anyway, I guess I don’t want you to feel as I did all those years ago. In the end, it’s best to hang on to someone you trust.”
“I do trust you, Mac.”
He smiled. “Good to know.”
Then she frowned. “Except when you kissed me.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Both insulted and intrigued, he stared at her.
Callie shook her head and plucked a stray paper napkin from the table and began to shred it with her fingers. “Dumb. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“But you did. Why shouldn’t I have kissed you, and why shouldn’t I do it again?”
Her eyes widened. “You feel sorry for me, Mac. You know I’m having a hard time, and though I know you only want to help, I deserve better than pity kisses.” She stood as if dismissing him. “Listen, thanks for dinner, the groceries, and the help, but I think you should leave now.”
Mac stood. “Well, I’ll be damned.” If she wanted him gone, then so be it. Mystified by the abrupt dismissal after the great evening he’d spent with her and the children, he stepped out the front door into the crisp air. He’d just hauled his ass down the steps and made his way to his truck when he heard a sound behind him and turned to see Callie standing not three feet from him. “You’re barefoot,” he remarked, for lack of anything better to say. “You’ll get cold.”
“I’ve hurt your feelings.”
“No.”
She moved closer just as a blast of wind whipped her hair back from her face. “I’m sorry if I did. Um, well, goodnight.”
He couldn’t look away, but it seemed neither could she. Mac scowled as the words she’d spoken moments ago taunted him and, without thinking things through, he reached out, gripped her arms and hauled her close. Callie squeaked at his none-too-smooth move, but he ignored it as he turned her to press her flush against the cab of his truck. Bending close, he brushed his lips over hers then whispered against them. “You’re dead wrong about everything. That kiss didn’t have a damn thing to do with pity and, damn it, neither does this one.”
Mac wasn’t feeling in the least considerate or like her best buddy. Sick of fucking around, frustration riding him hard, he took her face between his palms then settled his lips on hers. Hunger took over as he plunged his tongue deep. Yes, he’d been gentle earlier, but he’d be damned if he’d let her shove him back into some kind of friend zone.
Not happening. He wanted more than that.
A sigh slipped from her, and Mac drank it down, loving the way her body softened against him. Her breasts plumped against his chest and unable to resist them, he released her face, swept his fingers down the slender column of her throat, and then cupped each breast in the palms of his hands. Callie went still then whimpered when he stroked her nipples with the pads of his thumbs. He teased the captured flesh, drawing tiny circles and lightly flicking the tightly pearled peaks. With a soft cry, Callie broke the kiss, her head dropping back against the window of the truck. He moved his mouth to her exposed throat and up to the delicate corner of her lips.
“This isn’t about pity, sweetheart. This is about me wanting you,” he whispered as he dragged his erection over her center. Once he’d started, Mac was unable to stop. He’d wanted her for too damn long. Thrusting, sliding, thrusting again, Mac wished like hell she was naked and beneath him in bed.
No pity, just a woman coming apart and bringing him along with her.
“Well now. Ain’t this just some hot stuff?”
Mac jerked away and spun, planting himself firmly in front of Callie to stare at Buzz Decker, the older brother of Emma’s ex, Darrell. If possible, old Buzz was even worse that his brother, and it was a miracle they weren’t sharing a cell in Huntsville Penitentiary. Buzz had once been a muscle-bound bully, but any hardness had long ago gone to flab which wasn’t much of a surprise considering his taste for alcohol. The muscles were gone but the bully remained.
A visit from this man was no kind of good. Warning bells sounded in Mac’s brain. “What do you want, Buzz?”
“Ain’t none of your business, Bonner. I’m here to talk to Callie.”
Though Mac tried to stop her, Callie moved around him and faced Decker. “It’s late. What do you want?”
Buzz lifted a half-empty fifth of whiskey to his lips and drank, instantly wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. He gave Callie a slow up and down look that threatened to send Mac over the edge. “Just wanted to check on my niece and nephew.”
Mac moved protectively closer to Callie. “Kind of late for that,” he said.
“Butt out.”
His anger ratcheted up another notch. “I’m not going to stand here and trade insults with you, Decker. I think you’d better clear out.”
Callie touched his arm. “Let me deal with him.” She turned her gaze to Emma’s former brother-in- law. “It’s kind of late for you to express concern now, Buzz. You’ve never given a damn about the kids nor about Emma, even after she got sick. You have no right to drop by here anytime you please. State your business and get the hell out of here.”
The leering smile faded from Buzz’s face. He thrust a thumb over his shoulder indicating his battered truck parked on the side of the street. A spiral of gray smoke drifted through an open window, and Mac saw a faint orange glow as the person inside took another drag from a cigarette. “Patsy Jean and me figured we’d come by and let you know our intentions.”
A stillness came over Callie, and Mac’s hands fisted. Dread washed over him. Finally he broke the sharp silence. “You’d better explain yourself.”
“Don’t have to explain nothin’ to you, Bonner.”
“I’m afraid you do.”
“Just ‘cause you’re fucking her, don’t mean this is your business.”
Mac lunged forward, rage riding him hard, but just as he reached out for Buzz, Callie grabbed his arm and placed her hands on his chest. “Stop. Don’t, Mac.” She faced Buzz, her breathing audible in the quiet night. “Say what you’re going to say then get the hell out of here. Make it fast.”
“Me and Patsy Jean got to talkin’ after Emma died. Being as Darrell’s rights were terminated after he went to prison, I figure aside from you, I’m those kids only living blood relative. Reckon I’ll be hiring a lawyer right quick. With the insurance money Emma left for those kids, somebody needs to make sure they’re taken care of properly.”
“The insurance money? How did you know about that?”
Buzz grinned and it was all Mac could do to keep from knocking that smirk from Buzz’s face.
“Patsy Jean and
Emma worked together back years ago. You might remember that. It was just after the little girl came along. Emma told my wife all about the life insurance policy she’d taken out and how the kids would get it if anything ever happened to her.” The man looked at Callie’s pitiful little house and shook his head. “Plumb awful place you’re keeping these kids in. You work two jobs. You don’t have a bit of help. Hell, Patsy Jean can take mighty good care of those babies of Darrell’s, and I can raise them right with that insurance money.”
“You bastard!”
Callie lunged for him, and Mac managed to grab her around the waist just before she plowed head-first into the slug.
“Whoa now. Calm down. Believe me, if anyone is going to kick his ass, it’s going to be me, but that’s not happening tonight.” As Callie struggled with her rage, Mac looked at Buzz. “You get the hell out of here right now or I’ll call the police and have you arrested for public intoxication and trespassing. We’re done for tonight, but not for good. Got that?”
“We’ll just see, Bonner. I’m gonna have my blood kin and that’s my final word.” Buzz held up the whiskey bottle and thrust it to the driveway where it shattered into pieces before he turned on his heels and stalked to his truck.
Mac narrowed his eyes and watched Decker’s taillights speed down the street, knowing Buzz, drunk or sober, was going to be a hell of a lot of trouble for Callie and, ultimately, for himself, too.
Chapter Three
Saturday night arrived with Callie preparing hot dogs in the kitchen and thanking her lucky stars that, for all practical purposes her work week was done. Of course, there were the kids to tend but that was work of a different kind. A Disney movie played on the tv as she set buns and condiments on the counter and bustled around. After a shift at the gift shop, she’d stopped by the Grocery Mart for weekend supplies. Wiggling her toes in the confines of her socks, she planned to pull her hair up and escape on some fantasy with Austin and Izzy. What else was there to do? For the first time since Emma’s death, she was restless and though she loved her niece and nephew more than life itself, she longed to escape for a while. An hour, maybe two, might just soothe her frazzled nerves. She’d worked a lot of jobs in her life but there was nothing more demanding than parenting.
Bonner's Way Page 4
