After the Rain (The Callahans)

by Jennifer Hayden

  She looked up at the sky. There was an angry black haze over the clouds. The wind was picking up at a quick pace. A storm was coming, Faye had told them earlier. A doozie, if the weatherman was right. It didn’t rain around here often, but when it did, it was bad.

  “You should come inside; it’s getting nasty out here.” Faye walked out onto the porch, pulling a shawl around her arms. “The guys are on their way back. They haven’t found him yet.”

  Kylie couldn’t hide her disappointment. “If he’s injured, he can’t be far.”

  “He may be dead,” Faye said, sitting down next to Kylie on the swing. “Depends on where Shayna hit him.”

  “Maybe someone has helped him by giving him shelter.”

  “It’s possible. But the Callahans are well known around here. Well liked. Not too many people would cross them.”

  “I can’t help but feel sorry for Shayna,” Kylie said, knowing the words were not going to go over well. She was right.

  “She’s a stupid, spoiled little girl, Kylie. Her parents babied her and then Trey babied her. They all created this monster. Hell, she screwed them all over.” Faye’s expression drew tight. “And now she’s screwing up those poor little children. That’s the real bitch of all this.”

  “No one asks to be beaten.”

  “Maybe not, but cheating on your husband repeatedly is likely to make him a little angry, don’t you think?”

  “Trey never hit her. Most men don’t hit, even for that.”

  “Yes, well, perhaps Trey should have hit her. She certainly had it coming. She slept with his best friend, you know.”

  No, she hadn’t known that. She had known there was cheating but nobody had mentioned with whom. “I didn’t know that.”

  “His name is Danny. He lives on the reservation. He still comes around sometimes, trying to make amends with Trey. It always ends badly. It takes a lot to get Trey to lose his temper. The sight of Danny Redfeather does it instantly.

  “Redfeather. Isn’t that Leo’s last name?”

  “Danny is Leo’s brother,” Faye said, watching as the wind chimes above them begin to tinkle in the wind.

  “That’s got to be hard for Leo.”

  “He and Trey made a pact after it happened. They just don’t talk about Danny.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “Some people don’t have any loyalty, Kyle. Paul’s in good company.”

  “How could Shayna do that to him?” Kylie didn’t understand how anyone could cheat on a man like Trey Callahan.

  “Because she got bored. Trey and Shayna got married and moved to the city because she couldn’t take the boredom here. Like Dusty told you before, she wanted to be a model. She had big Hollywood dreams. She had Trey working on one of the most dangerous police forces in the country. Even that wasn’t enough for her. I take it he hasn’t told you any of this.”

  Kylie shrugged. “Some of it. I’m embarrassed to say most of the talking we’ve done has been about me.”

  “I probably shouldn’t air his dirty laundry, Ky. But he’s a good guy and I know you like him a lot. And I can tell he likes you. When I questioned you before it’s because I know you have both been hurt badly. I wouldn’t want to see either of you hurt again.”

  “I wouldn’t want to hurt him either, Faye. I know we’ve only known each other a few weeks but I care about him. More than I ever have about anyone else.”

  “I can see that.” Faye met her friend’s gaze. “They spent three horrendous years in Los Angeles. He did everything he could to make her happy. Spoiled her literally rotten. But he also worked a lot. She got bored and cheated. Not once, but twice. So finally he gave up and came home.”

  “Without her,” Kylie figured out.

  “Yes, without her. But that was short lived.” Faye shook her head, sadly. “She showed up not two weeks later, claiming she was pregnant. Naturally, he questioned whether the child was even his but she managed to convince him it was. So he gave her another chance, but told her he wouldn’t go back to Los Angeles. They moved into a small house on the reservation, not far from Mamaw and his mother. He got on with the reservation police where Danny was already on board. They became partners. Five months into the pregnancy they found out they were having a girl. Things looked like they were going fine. Then one night Trey went out with Dusty—a boy’s night out type of thing. They’d had quite a bit to drink. Dusty brought Trey home and they found Shayna and Danny in bed together.”

  Kylie winced. She could only imagine how hard it must have been for Trey to walk in on a situation like that.

  “It was bad. Trey went ballistic. He nearly killed Danny. Shayna freaked out and ran off. Later that night she got into a car accident and the baby died.”

  Kylie felt moisture fill her eyes. “I had no idea.”

  “Yes, well, no one really talks about it. Trey divorced Shayna right after that and got on with the sheriff’s department. For a long time, he wouldn’t step foot on the reservation. I think a lot of it was because he was afraid he’d kill Danny if he saw him again.”

  “I don’t blame him.”

  “Yeah, me either. Shayna moved away to LA again. We didn’t hear anything about her for a while. Soon enough she started calling Trey and the games began. They’ve been going on ever since. I think half the reason he talks to her at all is because he feels guilty about his reaction to her and Danny. I think he feels like he caused the baby to die.”

  “That’s ridiculous. She’s the one who was cheating.”

  “Yes, well, things got pretty ugly that night. He said some pretty terrible things that I think he feels caused her to run. He blamed himself for a long time.”

  “How does he even know for sure that the baby was his?”

  “He doesn’t,” Faye said, smiling sadly. “You’ve found yourself a good, caring guy, Kylie—if you can figure out a way to hang onto him. He’s a little slippery now, thanks to Shayna. But I can tell he cares about you.”

  Kylie thought that over. She cared about him too. A lot.

  As if on cue, several vehicles came down the lane at once. The last one, Kylie noted, was Trey’s rig. She instantly felt better knowing he was finally home, at least for now. He was safe.

  Dusty climbed out of his truck. Leo and Elle climbed out of a vehicle behind them. Lastly, Trey stepped out of his. They all looked exhausted.

  Kylie stood up and made her way to the front porch steps.

  “Are you okay?” Elle asked, reaching her first and giving her a hug. “When Trey told me what happened I was pretty freaked out. What an awful man.”

  “I’m okay,” Kylie answered for the hundredth time that day, hugging Elle in return.

  “Well I wouldn’t be,” Elle said, stepping back.

  “I’m starved,” Dusty said, stepping up on to the porch. “Any dinner left?”

  “I made a big pot of spaghetti,” Faye said, leading them all into the house. When Trey reached the porch, he sighed, his tired eyes studying Kylie’s face closely. “Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He was quiet a moment. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough couple of days. Not much of a vacation.”

  “I’m fine, Trey,” she repeated and stepped toward him, hooking her fingers through his belt loops. “I came a long way today, believe it or not. I fought back. I’m kind of proud of myself for that. The idea of lying down and cowering crossed my mind, but I didn’t do that. I fought him.”

  He smiled halfway, lifting a finger and reaching up to tap it against her nose, affectionately. “That’s my girl.”

  The words warmed her and she leaned into him. Everything was better when he was holding her in his arms.

  “There’s a storm coming,” he said, after a moment, stepping back a little. “I need to help the guys batten down the hatches. Secure the horses and stuff.”

  “I can help.”

  “It’s going to get nasty out here. Just go on in and I’ll be in later. I can’t stay in
the guesthouse tonight. Window’s busted out.”

  She could see there was something different about him, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. He was more aloof than he had been earlier—more distant. It bothered her but she nodded and stepped away from him.

  Later, when all was quiet and everyone had gone to bed, Kylie lay awake listening to the wind howl outside. The rain was pounding, the thunder was sounding and she was alone.

  Trey had come back in after helping Dusty and Joe secure things outside and told her he would be sleeping downstairs on the couch. His reason had been that he wanted to keep an eye on things. Even though his reason seemed perfectly logical, given the fact that Matt Clyde was still on the run, for some reason she had the feeling he was pulling back from her. That idea hurt. They had gotten so close so fast and now he was backing off and she wasn’t sure why.

  She jumped at another loud clap of thunder. She hated thunder. This thunder was louder than any storm she’d been through in Montana. She burrowed deeper into the covers, feeling a little like a child scared of the dark.

  Unable to fall asleep, she thought about what Faye had told her about Trey and Shayna. Knowing something about his past made it a little easier to understand him. She just wished it had been Trey, himself, who had opened up and told her.

  She sighed, turning over and looking at the clock. It was one in the morning. Why was she wide-awake? Of course, she knew the answer; because she couldn’t stop thinking about Trey. Things had been so good that morning. Then Matt Clyde had shown up and ruined everything.

  She sat up abruptly, unable to stand lying there anymore. She tiptoed from her room and headed for the stairs, careful not to wake anyone. All the bedroom doors were closed tightly and everyone was obviously sleeping. Everyone but her.

  She took the stairs slowly, wincing as her feet hit the cold hardwood at the bottom of the stairs. She could still hear the wind whistling against the wind chimes outside. It almost sounded eerie.

  She looked into the family room and saw that Trey was indeed stretched out on the couch, stomach down. He had a pillow under his head, and a blanket tossed over his bottom half. His back was bare. She watched him for a while, deciding it was probably better to let him sleep. All the same, she didn’t want to go back upstairs by herself. She walked into the family room and curled into an easy chair in the corner. Tucking her legs under her, she rested her head against the cushions and stared out the front window.

  Eventually, she must have dozed off because when she awoke there was sunlight coming in through the windows. The rain had stopped. When she looked over at the couch, she noticed that Trey was gone.

  Sitting up, she stretched her legs out and yawned. The blanket covering her legs fell to the floor. Had he put the blanket there?

  “About time you woke up. Weather’s beautiful now,” Faye said, stepping into the room with a cup of coffee. She was still wearing her pajamas and some pink fuzzy slippers. “There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen.”

  “That was some storm last night.”

  “Yeah, I warned you about those things.” Faye leaned against the arm of the couch. “So we got a call a little while ago. Matt Clyde stumbled into Mercy Emergency this morning. He was arrested on the spot.”

  Kylie couldn’t hide her relief. “That’s great.”

  “Yeah, we’re all relieved. Now we can concentrate on the carnival and the wedding.”

  Kylie yawned again. “Is everyone already gone?”

  “Dusty left for the restaurant. Joe’s still sleeping.”

  “What about Trey?”

  Faye looked surprised. “I assumed you knew where he was. He was gone before we all got up.”

  “Oh. He must have let me sleep.”

  Faye took a slow sip of coffee. “He probably got called pretty early, Ky—about Matt and all. I’m sure he just dashed off in a hurry.”

  “Probably,” Kylie agreed, standing up. Somehow, she knew there was more to things than that. “I’m going to go get dressed.”

  “Hurry up. I want to take you to meet Mamaw today. She’s got some ideas about the wedding.”

  “Mamaw? You mean Trey’s grandmother?”

  “Yep, she’s great. You’ll love her. She’s very traditional in the ways of her people. She’s heard all about you. She’s been asking me to bring you by for days.”

  “I don’t know, Faye.” Kylie felt the beginnings of panic at the idea of meeting Trey’s mother and grandmother—especially when Trey was acting so strangely himself.

  “I already told her we’re coming. Go change.”

  Faye disappeared before Kylie could protest.

  20

  Trey rubbed his temples, doing his best to calm the pounding inside his head. He should be relieved. They had captured Matt Clyde. He was sitting in a hospital near Scottsdale, recovering from a gunshot wound, before he would be on his way to jail. Kylie was okay. That should make him happy.

  But he wasn’t happy. He was in over his head with her and he knew it. Looking into her eyes last night, hearing her say how she’d fought back when Matt had jumped her, he’d realized just how vulnerable she was—and how much she’d been through in her life. These facts only reminded him of how little he had to offer her.

  She was the kind of girl who deserved the world. There was no way he could offer her that. Therefore, he’d turned his back. He had slept downstairs, avoiding the sex he knew would happen if he stayed in her room with her. When he’d woken that morning and seen her sleeping in the chair, he’d felt guilty for being such an ass. She’d been through a traumatic experience that morning and he’d left her alone to deal with it. She’d obviously gotten scared and come downstairs and she’d clearly read the signals he was giving her and decided not to bother him. So instead of waking her up and talking things out with her, he’d laid a blanket over her and taken the chicken’s way out for a second time; he’d left before she woke up.

  He felt like a shit. Hell, he knew he was a shit. Still, he didn’t know what to do about it. No matter what he did, he was setting her up for a fall. If he walked away, she would get hurt. If he stuck with it and waited to see where things would go, she would get hurt. He would never be able to marry her. It just wasn’t in the cards.

  “Coffee?”

  He looked up as Dusty walked into the office, two cups of coffee in his hand.

  “Thanks.” Trey took the offering and leaned back in his chair. “What’s up?”

  Dusty shoved some papers aside and sat down on the now empty chair across from Trey’s desk. “Just stopping by to check in on my little brother—and see what the latest is on Matt Clyde.”

  Trey raised a brow. “I told Faye on the phone, he’s in the hospital under guard. He’ll be going to jail in a day or two. Why are you really here?”

  “No real reason. I had some spare time.”

  Trey snorted. “What’s on your mind, Dustin?”

  “You left awfully early this morning. I know it wasn’t to drag in Clyde because he’s near Scottsdale. Not your jurisdiction.”

  “I had things to do.”

  “You slept on the couch.”

  Trey met his brother’s gaze. “What’s your point?”

  “My point is that I’m not buying the protecting the family thing. We’re all armed, Trey. You’re avoiding Kylie all the sudden, aren’t you?”

  “You’re overreacting.” Trey took a long sip of coffee. “I had work to do. I didn’t want to be distracted last night with that lunatic on the loose.”

  “Okay,” Dusty said, tossing his empty coffee cup into the trash. “For the sake of this discussion, say I believe your reasons. You’re in over your head here, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m talking about you and Kylie. I’m talking about you spending every waking minute together—sleeping together. You told me the other night that you had this under control. I’m a little worried that you don’t.”

  “W
ell quit worrying. It’s none of your business.”

  “Then why are you pushing her away?”

  “I left early for work this morning, Dusty. I didn’t push her away.”

  “I don’t know what she sees but I know you too well, little brother. You’re getting ready to run. That is a shitty thing to do to a person like Kylie. She deserves better than that. You told me you two have an understanding. So, why the cold shoulder shit?”

  Trey slammed his coffee cup down on the desk, spilling the liquid over the top and onto a pile of papers. “Damn it, Dusty, don’t you get it? I did not plan any of this. I didn’t even give her a second thought when she first got here. It just happened.”

  “That’s the way it usually works, man. Hits you right between the eyes.”

  “Quit with that bullshit. I didn’t get shot by Cupid’s arrow. Yesterday showed me that she’s more vulnerable than I realized. I don’t want to crush her, man.”

  “Then be honest with her. Don’t just turn your back. She won’t make heads or tails of that. She’ll just think you’re a dick.”

  “Maybe I am.” Trey wiped the mess up and tossed the rest of the coffee into the trash. “I like spending time with her. I care about her. But that’s it. It will never go any further than that. Even though we’ve pretty much left things open because she’s going back to Montana in the next couple weeks, it feels like she’s going to expect more, the closer we get.”

  “She knows she’s leaving, Trey. She’s the one who lives in Montana and has a life to go back to.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Trey was thoughtful. “I guess she dug her heels in a little bit. I haven’t had that happen since before Shayna. I vowed I wouldn’t let it happen again.”

  “You can’t just walk away, that’s all I’m saying. It took a lot for her to learn to trust you.”

  “I know.”

  “So don’t run like a coward.” Dusty stood up and looked Trey in the eyes. “I don’t think it’s her heart you’re worried about breaking, little bro. I’m pretty sure it’s your own heart you’re concerned about.”

  In spite of her misgivings, Kylie went upstairs and showered. She dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt and then pulled her hair up in a ponytail. It wasn’t the most glamorous look but it would do. Fortunately, the fat lip she’d been sporting the day before was pretty much gone. With a little lip gloss she was able to completely conceal the injury.