His Rebel Heart

by Amber Leigh Williams

  “You son of a bitch,” James said, reaching out and gripping the front of Dusty’s coveralls. “You almost killed him!”

  “I was hammered,” Dusty said offhandedly, without so much as a flicker of remorse. “My strength got away from me. You know how it is.”

  “Son of a bitch!” James said again and tossed Dusty back several steps.

  “Big deal,” Dusty said, straightening up quickly. He was solidly built, even if James had ten pounds of muscle on him. “It was eight years ago. The Carltons couldn’t find the evidence they needed to lock you up so they dropped the charges and you split town.” He spread his hands. “No harm done, if you ask me.”

  James thought about the jagged scar on Van’s brow. Rage filtered through him, that familiar geyser that had once been a ready comfort. Cursing up a storm, he threaded his hands through his hair and began to pace.

  Dusty licked his lips. “You’re not gonna to tell anybody.” When James’s lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl, Dusty’s confidence leaked from his features. “You won’t say anything if you know what’s good for you.”

  James scowled. “Oh, you’re threatening me now?”

  “Depends,” Dusty said. “You planning on keeping this conversation to yourself?”

  James thought about it good and long, letting his fury fade, welcoming cool logic. He thought of Van. Edith. Adrian. Finally, he stopped pacing. “I won’t tell anybody.” Before Dusty could breathe a sigh of relief, James continued, “But you will.”

  “What?” Dusty asked, face falling.

  James nodded. “I’ll give you a few days to come clean with the Carltons. You can make your amends and they can decide what needs to be done.”

  Dusty looked at him as if he were crazy. “Come on. Be reasonable.”

  “I’m being a hell of a lot more reasonable than I want to be right now,” James told him. “If by the end of the week you haven’t confessed, I’ll do it for you. Only I’ll be talking to the police.”

  Dusty’s expression hardened little by little and his eyes steeled. “If that’s the case, then you and I are done.”

  James jerked a careless shoulder. “Guess you should’ve thought about that eight years ago.”

  Dusty eyed him for a moment before removing his ball cap with the Bracken logo and tossing it aside. With one last scathing look at James, Dusty turned and left the garage for good.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “TAKE YOUR NAUGHTY paws off my ride, Bracken.”

  James looked up to see Adrian’s friend Olivia, with her hands on her hips. He raised his palm from the orange hood of the well-restored ’80s model pickup that he’d been stroking in admiration. “This yours?” he asked, surprised, measuring her petite figure.

  Her emerald eyes flashed indignantly. “Yeah. Now back away real slow-like and keep your hands where I can see them.”

  James couldn’t fight a smile as he wearily stepped back. “Sorry.”

  Satisfied that he was no longer within reaching distance of her truck, Olivia relaxed. “Now, what can I do you for?”

  “I’m looking for the little mama,” he said.

  Olivia snorted. “She lets you call her that and live?”

  “I’ve been skinned a time or two.”

  Olivia let out a laugh. “She’s coming around for lunch.” They both glanced up as the sky rumbled a warning. “You should come on in. The bottom’s about to drop. You hungry?”

  “I could eat.” James was about to accept the invitation when Adrian rounded the corner of the shop.

  She frowned at him. “What are you doing here?” she asked, coming up short.

  “Hello to you, too,” James replied. For a moment, he simply looked. Wished. Wanted.

  He hadn’t seen or talked to her since The Farm—or since the run-in with Dusty in the garage when the truth about Van’s attack came to light. Looking at her now, he wanted to blurt out the truth. Bring her the closure she and her family had needed years ago.

  Two more days, he determined. He’d given Dusty his word, however harsh, and he’d keep it. He hoped to God his old friend did what was right and made his peace with the Carltons. Van deserved to hear the truth from the man who’d wronged him.

  As James gazed at Adrian, the wanting turned into a long, hard burn. Christ, he needed to hold her, if only for a moment. Stephen had called that morning to update James. His mother’s chemotherapy would be starting soon. They were pushing the treatment up in light of some new test results. James had been able to read between the lines. His mother’s condition might be worse than expected.

  Again, the thought of losing Mavis and the chance to make up for everything that had been lost scared James just as much as her cancer. He needed to man up and decide what role he wanted to play in her treatment and her eventual recovery. However, he couldn’t hide the fact that, in the face of all his old demons, the urge to turn tail and run was itching beneath his skin at times.

  Indulging in what he felt for Adrian helped ease those restless feelings. Even just looking at her helped. The distance between them...that was something he needed to fix. Right damn now.

  Adrian frowned at the silent appraisal. “Look, hot rocks, I haven’t got time for this.”

  “Aren’t you on your lunch break?” he asked.

  “Yes, but...” Adrian scowled. “I’m in no mood for your company.”

  James rocked back on his heels. “Ouch. Is this about your mother?”

  “No,” she said firmly. “It’s about you bothering me.”

  James looked at Olivia. “It’s about her mother.”

  Olivia glanced from him back to Adrian. “As much as I enjoy watching you two engage in foreplay, I don’t feel like getting rained on.” Pivoting on her heel, she called back, “Are you guys coming?”

  James began to follow. Adrian blocked his path. “You’re not coming in.”

  “She told me to,” James pointed out.

  “No, she didn’t.”

  “Hey, lovebirds!” Olivia called from the tavern door. “Get inside! It’s raining!”

  A raindrop broke apart on James’s nose. He looked around, saw the drizzle turning into a steady rain on the bay to his left. Without another word, he grabbed Adrian by the wrist and pulled her in through the open door beside him.

  A mound of fur greeted James inside the tavern. It bared its teeth and emitted a low growl. James pressed his back to the door. “Jesus! What is that?”

  “Rex,” Gerald said, rushing over and laying a hand on the hairy beast’s head. “Sorry, James. He’s usually friendly.”

  “Good boy, Rexie,” Adrian murmured, patting the dog on the back. She sent James a scalding look. “Such a good judge of character.”

  James felt the black mood he’d been wrestling with for days thunder down on him again. “All right,” he said, pushing the sleeves of his flannel shirt up to his elbows as he veered around Rex. “Let’s have it out, woman.”

  Adrian rounded on him, eyes firing. “Woman?” she echoed.

  “Uh-oh,” Olivia muttered. She grabbed Gerald’s hand. “Incoming shrapnel. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “No, stick around,” James offered. “Grab some popcorn while you’re at it. I’m not afraid to go at it with an audience.”

  “You made that very clear Saturday night,” Adrian said.

  “Did I embarrass you?” he ventured. When she only scowled, his lips tightened. “Is it Strong?”

  “Strong?” She shook her head as if to clear it. “You mean Byron?”

  “That’s right,” James asserted. “Byron Strong. You two dated, right?”

  Her mouth dropped. “He’s a friend. You know, someone who doesn’t fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. Someone who can sit through dinner without
making a scene.”

  James spread his arms. “Then why aren’t you with him? Why aren’t you two married and living at The Farm under Edith’s thumb?”

  “Oh, God,” Olivia whispered. “It’s like a train wreck. I can’t look away.”

  “You’ve the right of it there, love,” Gerald said, gripping his wife’s elbow in case they needed to make a quick getaway.

  Adrian walked to James and stabbed him with her finger. “What’s between Byron and me is none of your business.”

  “If your mother had her way, Byron would be Kyle’s stepfather.” James was close to livid and having great difficulty concealing it. “I’d say that is my business.”

  “You’re just jealous because you know he’s a better man than you are,” Adrian accused.

  Damn it, she had him there. “Go on. Go marry him. I’m sure the four of you will be very happy together.”

  “The four of us?”

  “Yeah,” James retorted. “You, Byron, Kyle and your mother.”

  Adrian planted both hands on his chest and shoved him back a step. “Oh, why don’t you just go back to whatever hellhole you crawled out of and disappear again?”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he asked, voice rising above hers. “You’d like nothing more than to see me pick up and leave. Get out of the picture. Well, it’s not gonna happen. No matter how hard you push.”

  She pushed anyway. “Why not?”

  “Because I love you!” he shouted.

  Adrian’s face froze. Fear flashed across it. “Take it back.”

  “What?” James frowned. “I’m not going to take it back.”

  “Take it back!” Adrian demanded.

  “No, I won’t.”

  She advanced on him. “You take it back right now, James Bracken, or I’ll—”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  James and Adrian stopped. They turned as one to Olivia who had blurted out the unexpected words. Gerald’s head swiveled sideways in her direction. For a moment, he stared at her, blank faced. He blinked owlishly from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. “What did you say?” he asked.

  “I’m pregnant,” Olivia said once more, facing her husband with her chin raised in challenge to mask the vulnerability permeating her expression.

  When Gerald and the others only stared at her, Olivia shrieked, “Say something!”

  Gerald blew out a breath. “Words. I’m...never without them.”

  “You could have fooled me!” Olivia said impatiently.

  “Liv.” Gerald gripped her arm in both hands now. “You’re really...” He gestured to her middle in a silent motion.

  “Yes, pregnant!” Olivia exclaimed. “You know? Knocked up. With child. In the family way...”

  Gerald silenced Olivia by throwing his arms around her and holding her tight. He let out a choked laugh before lifting her off the ground and spinning with her. Rex barked happily from the floor.

  Olivia placed her hands on Gerald’s upper arms to stop him. “Whoa, whoa,” she said. “Easy there, Shakespeare. I haven’t been doing too great in the equilibrium department.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gerald said, alarmed. “So sorry. You married a prat, Mrs. Leighton.” Lifting her damsel-in-distress style into his arms, he turned awkwardly to James and Adrian who had been transfixed by the family interlude. He bobbed a short bow, unable to fight a broad grin. “You’ll excuse us, won’t you?”

  Adrian waved her hand dismissively. “Go on, go on.” She smiled as she watched the pair disappear through the swinging doors behind the bar into the hall beyond.

  James watched Adrian as the couple went on their merry way. Her soft smile slowly faded. She didn’t look at him but he could see that the fury was gone as was the fear. In their place was the fragile light of heartache.

  Understanding it, James reached for her. She pulled back, dodging his touch once more. He let her because it was his fault. If he hadn’t left, the news of Adrian’s own pregnancy still might not have been welcomed by her family, but he would have had a chance to celebrate as Gerald had. To break out in a big, stupid grin and swing Adrian about until she glowed.

  No, there’d been none of that.

  On a ragged exhale, Adrian walked out of the tavern and into the rain.

  James stared at the doors as they swung shut. Then he looked at the dog, Rex, who was eyeing him warily. Skirting the canine, he made for the doors and pushed his way out into the downpour. He trudged through the puddles to the front of Flora. He peered through the windows but the interior was dark. Going around to the other side of the building, he spotted her unlocking the doors to the greenhouse and made for her. As she removed the padlock, he gripped the door over her head and swung it open.

  Adrian sighed. “I’d really like to be alone, James.”

  “No,” he said.

  That brought her gaze to his. “What do you mean no?” she asked, punching the last word out.

  “I mean no, damn it,” James said again. Gingerly, he tugged her toward him and into the greenhouse. Her resistance faded bit by bit as he wrapped her close.

  He held her as the rain fell on the glass walls and roof, drumming around them in a steady cadence. She didn’t fight him off this time. Giving in, she let him hold her amidst the hanging ferns and planters.

  Finally, gripping his arms, she whispered, “Let me go now.”

  Without a word, he lowered his mouth to hers in a gentle, giving kiss that stilled her. It was the first time he had dared to kiss her since the morning he’d woken up with her in his bed. He’d missed this—missed her. He’d missed the burn and the peace she brought in equal measure. The answers. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” he murmured. “I’m sorry it couldn’t have been that way for us.”

  Adrian shook her head. Her brow knitted. “Sorry doesn’t change anything.”

  “I can change now.”

  She frowned. “I never wanted you to change. All I wanted was for you to stay.”

  And you didn’t. The words echoed between them as if she’d spoken them. James grazed his thumb over the point of her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. “James...it’s done. That part of our lives is over. How many times do I have to say it?”

  “Then what’s keeping us from making a clean start of it?” he asked gently.

  She licked her lips. “You didn’t tell me the whole truth.”

  “I swear to you,” he said, “I didn’t know about the drugs in Huntsville.”

  Adrian’s frown eased slowly. “I know that.”

  “You do?” he asked, surprised.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Then why the distance?” James asked. “Why all this tension?”

  Adrian hung her head, dropping her hands from him. “Because you didn’t tell me the whole story. I can live with the fact that you stole cars. I can believe you wouldn’t have done it if you’d known they were full of drugs. But, James, you promised me the truth and you didn’t deliver. Not all of it.”

  He nodded. He could agree with her on that. “I’m sorry.”

  She sighed. “Stop saying you’re sorry. Just promise me, if you want to be a part of Kyle’s life...and mine, you’ll be completely truthful with us from now on.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  She hesitated before saying what she had to say next. “I saw your mom yesterday.”

  James faltered into silence once more.

  Looking at him closely, she added quietly, “She was running errands in town, just like me. But she looked tired. And you were right. She is thinner.”

  James winced.

  “James,” Adrian said in a whisper. “Please tell me you’ve talked to her.”

  He swallowed al
l the conflicting feelings rising up his throat. “I’m trying.”

  The look she gave him was almost pitying. “I don’t want to be the one to say it...but under the circumstances, time might not be a luxury you can count on.”

  “I know, Adrian, I know.”

  “Then why haven’t you talked to her?” she asked, searching his face.

  He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Because I’m scared out of my mind. Because if this treatment doesn’t go her way and I lose her, too...”

  Adrian’s lips parted when the words faded to an echo. “What? Are you...going to leave again?”

  “No,” he said quickly, meeting her gaze. “No.”

  “Are you sure about that?” she asked, the words cracking.

  He saw the sheen work its way over her dark eyes and pulled her into him again. He tucked her into his embrace and buried his face in her hair. “I won’t lie to you, baby. I’m spooked. I’m feeling things—a lot of negative, cowardly things—that I haven’t felt since my dad was taken from me. But if you understand nothing else about me, Adrian, know this. No matter what happens, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “But what if—”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said again. “I’ve got you. I’ve got Kyle. You need me. Both of you.” Before she could think about arguing that point, he went on. “And I need you. No matter what happens, you’re stuck with me this time around.”

  She didn’t move for a long time. Finally she turned her face into his chest. He closed his eyes in relief when her arms wound around him, clinging after a moment’s pause. “You’re not really in love with me, right?” she asked in a halting, plaintive voice.

  The laugh that broke out of James was every bit as healing as the peace she brought to him. Dropping a kiss to her brow, he pulled back enough to touch his lips to the line between her eyes. “I love you so much I can’t think straight.”

  “Damn it,” she groaned.

  That brought a smile to his lips. “Not exactly the response I was hoping for. But I suppose it’s better than the closed fist I had coming my way a few minutes ago.”

  Adrian fiddled with the top button of his shirt. “So, you still want to take Kyle camping? Am I invited, too?”