by Ava Miles
Abbie picked at the paper covering her finger, her shoe tapping on the granite floor. Her eyes followed Rhett’s movements, and then she bit her lip.
Peggy’s eyes widened. Abbie was in love with Rhett—and didn’t want to be.
What a kerfuffle!
Peggy was sympathetic. She sure as hell wouldn’t be standing in Mac’s kitchen, making small talk with his family, if she didn’t feel something for him, even though she wished she could delete it like a computer virus. She fingered the beer’s label, watching Dustin help Keith pile too many vegetables on the skewers as Abbie fussed over it all like she was hosting a state dinner.
Mac crossed over to her, looking mouth–watering in sand–colored cargo shorts and a black T–shirt. “Come on. I think this gang has everything under control. Let’s make sure the squirrels haven’t absconded with the steaks.”
“You left the steaks outside? It’s eighty degrees out.”
He caressed her elbow as he led her out. She almost dropped her beer bottle at the pinging charge that ran down her arm.
“I’m bringing them up to room temperature.”
When he closed the patio doors, the view knocked her socks off. The mountains looked purplish–green in the waning light, and the sky blasted out cobalt mixed with pink and peach. The pines cascaded down the incline like they were surfboarding.
“That’s a killer view.”
“I like Rhett’s better.”
The pitch of his voice had dropped at least two levels, full of fire and smoke. At this rate, they wouldn’t need the grill. He could cook the steaks himself.
“Me too,” she answered, her voice scratchy from the confession.
“I’m glad you’re here, Peg.”
She wanted to bury her face against his chest. Instead she crossed over to the steaks. Gave them a poke through the saran wrap.
“Me too,” she repeated easily. Had he put truth serum in her beer?
She watched him grill the kebobs Keith brought out on a plate. Listened to him converse with her chattering son as he slapped the steaks on the grill. Keith’s joy could have powered a light house. Part of her worried about the interaction after all his questions the other night. The other part lit up inside, enjoying the moment.
Would it be like this if they had a future together?
She drank her beer as the scenarios played through her mind. When he picked Keith up and helped him turn the steaks, her heart turned over. They looked…good together.
They ate at the picnic table Abbie had set up outside as the sun went down. Mac sprayed Peggy with bug spray when she complained the mosquitoes were biting her ankles.
He winked up at her. “Lucky devils,” he whispered to her so no one could hear.
The adults didn’t talk much. Keith peppered people with questions. Mac and Dustin teased each other like the guys at her office did, with Rhett joining in occasionally. Mostly, though, he just stared at Abbie, his heart on his sleeve.
“Why aren’t you drinking your wine?” Rhett finally asked Abbie. “I thought it was your favorite.”
Her finger tapped the stem three times before responding. “It is.”
The dart was unmistakable. Rhett’s shoulders slumped. Peggy almost patted his hand like she would a victim. Clearly Abbie was doing everything to convince Rhett she wasn’t interested in him, but even Peggy could make out her distress in her tense shoulders and facial muscles.
“Well, if you won’t drink it, I will, Mom,” Dustin said, clearly missing the insult.
“As if,” she primly responded, clutching the glass.
“Just kidding,” he remarked, kicking back in his chair.
“You better be,” Mac warned.
Keith leaned closer to Dustin. “You should listen. My mom puts people in jail who drink before they’re twenty–one. Right, Mom?”
God, she loved it when her kid quoted the law. “Right.”
Dustin’s face fell.
After seeing him treat Keith so kindly tonight, she decided to throw him a bone. “Of course, I know Dustin wouldn’t do anything like that, so you don’t have to worry about him, Keith.”
“Whew!” her son cried dramatically. “I don’t have enough money to bail him out of jail.”
Everyone laughed. Dustin’s ears turned red.
Abbie served the special dessert she had mentioned—something she called a Charlotte, which made Peggy wonder why people always named recipes after girls. When they were finished eating, the men headed off to watch Dustin teach Keith more dribbling techniques. Mac sprinted across the back lawn, turning as Dustin kicked a wicked pass to him. He stopped it with his foot and dribbled it back, looking like some hot European World Cup Soccer player. The man had impressive skills.
After a moment, Abbie changed chairs and sat by her side. “They all look really good together,” she commented. “Male camaraderie isn’t something I understand, but I know it when I see it.”
Peggy reached for her beer so she wouldn’t scratch her back. Funny, it hadn’t itched for a while. “Male camaraderie’s about all I understand. The girl stuff—shopping and flowers—makes me as nervous as when I was went through my first door.”
“When you were a baby?” Abbie asked, her brow wrinkling.
“Please.” Peggy smiled. “No, as a rookie.”
“Oh.”
Mac raised a squealing Keith to his shoulders. Her mouth dropped when Rhett did the same with Dustin.
“He’s a strong one,” Peggy commented, impressed.
“And stubborn as an ox.” Abbie tucked her hand under her chin. “He’s in love with me. He plans to stay here as long as it takes to wear me down, even though I told him it’s impossible for us to be together.”
Her aggrieved tone made Peggy want to laugh. “How’s he doing?”
She sighed. “Before today, pretty good. Today, not so good. How’s Mac doing?”
Her back caught fire. Dammit. She’d jinxed it. “He doesn’t have a plan to wear me down.” God, she hoped not.
“Mac isn’t that devious or obvious. He’s patient and consistent. He wins you over by making himself indispensible to you.”
Terrific. “What’s keeping you from being with Rhett? It’s clear to anyone with eyes you love him.”
“Pretty much the same thing as you with Mac. He’s a poker player. And I have to say, even a peacock with its thousands of eyes couldn’t tell how you feel about my brother.”
Peggy turned her attention back toward the soccer exhibition. “Your son plays very well.”
“You didn’t answer my question about Mac.”
Peggy stood. “You’re right. When I have one, I might.”
Abbie twirled her untouched wine. “Be sure. He saw what the whole thing with Dustin’s father did to my trust in men. I don’t know what happened with your ex, but Mac will stick by you. No one’s more loyal.”
“I’m going to join them. It’s getting harder to see from here.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. She strode across the lawn until she stood a few yards away from them. Mac waved and then dribbled in a flash around Rhett, who took him down with an outstretched foot.
“Red card!” Mac called.
Rhett launched himself at him, and they started wrestling in the grass. The boys joined in the fray, piling on. She took a step toward them before realizing the adults were orchestrating their movements to ensure no one got hurt. She stopped where she was. Watched the sun set, listening as the two voices she liked hearing most—one still high–pitched and the other low and gravely—were raised in laughter.
When Mac jogged over to her, she couldn’t take it. She snuck an arm around his waist, out of Keith’s line of sight. His muscles stilled, and then he settled closer.
“It’s almost bedtime,” he observed, all Mr. Responsible.
“Yes. We should get going.”
“Can you meet me at Rhett’s tomorrow? I have a powerful thirst for you.”
Her mouth went dry. “When?�
��
He laughed. “Right now, I’d pretty much say whenever you can make it.”
“Let me see if I can take off work a little early. Tanner can probably watch Keith for a few hours.” Then she remembered. “Dammit. My other brother’s arriving for a visit tomorrow.”
“That’s okay. We’ll find another time.”
“No. I don’t know if I’m…going to see him. I’ll find someone else to look after Keith.”
He turned his head, his green eyes as dark as moss in the twilight. “Why wouldn’t you see him?”
“Tanner’s never told you about him?”
Mac shook his head.
“Well, let’s just say my baby brother is an alcoholic and—”
“He reminds you of your father.”
His words sucked all oxygen from her. She dropped her hand from his waist. “We need to go.”
He grabbed her arm. “We need to talk about this sometime. It’s the one thing standing between us.”
One thing? Who was kidding who now?
She shoved at his hold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He caressed her forearm, lowering his head until they were inches apart. She could feel his warm breath fanning her face. “You’re afraid I’ll turn into the man your father was because I play poker like he did.”
Like a chord, his analysis pinged through her whole body. “Stop getting in my face.”
He cradled it between his warm palms. “I’m hoping that if I stand this close to you, you’ll be able to see I’m nothing like your father.”
She stepped away. They were not having this conversation. “Keith! We need to go.” Her voice couldn’t have been shriller.
“But Mom!” he fired back, picking up the soccer ball.
“Nope. Let’s go.” She reigned in her anger. It wasn’t his fault. “Say goodbye to everyone.”
Mac gave her one last look and then walked away. “Your mom’s getting tired. She didn’t have a lot of downtime after work today. How about I give you a piggyback to the car?”
At other times, she would have kissed him for the tag–team, but she couldn’t erase his accusation.
Her dad wasn’t the problem. Mac was wrong. He had to be.
God, maybe the problem was her inability to make peace with the past. Being with Mac had ripped off all of the bandages she’d put on the old wounds. Now she couldn’t seem to cover them up anymore because they wouldn’t stop bleeding. Why couldn’t she simply let it all go?
She said her goodbyes with a knot in her gut. The group’s energy couldn’t have blown out a handful of birthday candles after her abrupt departure.
Mac buckled Keith in, tickling him until he was writhing with laughter. Then he shut the door and came around to where Peggy stood. She gave an absent wave to the others by the door.
He took her hands. “Look at me. I love you. I know what I said upset you, but it was going to come out sooner or later. Since your brother’s coming, I decided sooner. That way you can make your own judgments. You’re a smart woman. You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.”
His faith in her only made her feel ashamed. “I don’t know why. I’ve done nothing to deserve it.”
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before she could blink. “You only have to be yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You still want to see me?” The shock in her voice couldn’t have been more evident.
His finger swiped her cheekbone. “Oh, Peg, when are you going to learn that it takes a heck of a lot more than your wariness to make me walk away?” He opened her car door. “Text me when you get home.”
“I’m a deputy.”
He shrugged. “It’s what people do when they care about each other.”
She took her seat behind the wheel and buckled up, thinking over his words. As she pulled away, she thought of all the times she’d made Tanner email her after going on some dangerous mission while he was an embedded journalist in Afghanistan. He’d laughed about it, asking why she didn’t just trust him to take care of himself. She’d told him it was because she cared.
She got home and texted Mac.
She knew he cared.
The big question was whether she could finally allow herself to admit the same.
Chapter 36
Peggy woke up the next morning grinding her teeth. She punched her pillow, her dream still sticking to her like Halloween green goo. In weird Technicolor, David had arrived at her house wearing a jacket lined with beer bottles. He’d offered her one. She’d declined. Then he’d offered one to Keith. As she was pushing him away, he turned into their father. She’d lowered her arms, a red haze closing in on her. Meanwhile, he had pulled out a deck of cards and was teaching Keith how to play poker. When she could finally lift her feet off the ground, she stalked forward to stop him. That was when his face changed again, and suddenly it was Mac who was smiling back at her.
The trembling continued throughout breakfast and her morning run–down at work. The sheriff told her she could leave a couple of hours early since she was working Labor Day. When she made it to her car, she sat in the seat with her phone in her hand. It took her five minutes before she summoned the will to text Mac to see if he could still meet her. His immediate response made her think he’d been waiting. He said he’d be there in twenty.
She headed over to Rhett’s, hoping to beat Mac there, nervous at the surprise she was planning. Mac’s car wasn’t there when she arrived, so she unlocked her trunk and stared at the shopping bag she’d brought with her. On a shopping trip to Victoria’s Secret with the Hale sisters, Meredith had bought Peggy a velvety brown nightgown, something she never would have bought for herself. The whole lingerie thing made her feel stupid, but she’d dug it out of the closet the other night.
She kinda wanted to do something nice for him, but she drew the line at modeling and saying, “Surprise.” She snatched up the bag, partly hoping the doors were locked. But they weren’t. Better strip before she chickened out. The nightgown shimmied over her skin in the bedroom they used. She eyed herself in the full–length mirror. The color deepened the hues of her eyes, and the nightgown clung to her curves, giving an embarrassing view of her ample cleavage. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, a bunch of frogs jumping in her stomach. Pacing, she waited for him.
When his car pulled up, she met him at the door. His smile widened, his gaze dipping below her face.
“Wow!” he managed before she pushed him back against the front door and devoured him.
He didn’t fight her when she dragged him to the bedroom, hastily tearing off his clothes. She pushed him onto the bed and climbed onto him, needing an outlet for all her aggression and confusion.
She poured it into their lovemaking.
He gave himself to her, groaning and twisting as her hands and mouth brought him to new heights, dark plateaus.
She wasn’t gentle. She wasn’t tender. Moments later, she exploded. He followed her quickly over the edge.
Rising, her hands rearranged the nightgown over her aching breasts. Her skin hadn’t even cooled. His gaze followed her movements as she dressed in the silence.
“I need to go,” she finally said when he continued watching with that damned tender, patient look.
The urge to head to the door overtook her. He had another poker tournament this weekend, starting tomorrow. She realized she couldn’t even wish him good luck. What did that make her? She couldn’t offer her support to this man she cared about.
“Peg.”
Her body stilled.
“I love you. If you need me, you know where to find me.”
She walked out without glancing back, knuckling away the dampness from her eyes.
The drive home didn’t reduce her anxiety. Usually she looked forward to holiday weekends. This time, she wanted to spend the whole weekend frozen. Someone could thaw her out after it was over like a character in a campy sci–fi movie. Tanner had invited her over for dinne
r tonight to see David. Meredith had told her Jill would watch Keith if she’d rather not bring him.
She had decided to go, but she was going to leave Keith at Jill’s. Depending upon David’s progress, perhaps she would let him see his nephew later on in the weekend.
After her day babysitter headed out, she changed out of her uniform and then followed a cheering Keith back outside the house. Conversing with him proved to be a challenge, since it was hard to concentrate. When she pulled into Jill’s driveway, she told him to say hi for her. She waited until he was safely inside before pulling away. Jill waved, a frown on her face.
Right, she couldn’t take whatever Jill might want to say to her about Mac or David—or anything.
The ride to her brother’s place only ratcheted up her desire to flee. She bore down and pushed the accelerator, speeding slightly, reminding herself of all the dangerous moments when she’d been on the police force. She could do this.
What the hell was she so afraid of?
What Mac had said to her about her father echoed in her mind.
Tanner’s dog, Hugo, careened into her when she exited the car. She reached down and scratched him behind the ears. Firmed her shoulders and headed to the porch.
Tanner opened the door and walked out, David trailing behind him like he was dragging his feet. So, she wasn’t the only nervous one?
“Hey,” Tanner called, kissing her on the cheek. “Glad you could come.”
She turned toward David. Unlike Tanner, who favored a rougher look after years spent overseas, her younger brother had the slick style of a New York politician. He had goop in his hair and a few lines around his eyes and mouth from hard living.
“David,” she managed.
“Peg,” he responded.
As far as greetings went, it wouldn’t make The Hallmark Channel.
“Let’s go inside,” Tanner suggested. “Meredith’s got everything ready.”
Her sister–in–law had to be nervous, sensing the tension between the siblings, because she’d overcompensated on the food and the presentation. First a cheese plate and hors d'oeuvres, then spinach salad, beef tenderloin, wild rice, and a mushroom medley presented with some fresh herb. Peggy thought of the meal for the Prodigal son. Puh–lease.
