*****
By the time I’m curled up in the corner of the sofa inside Knight’s trailer, the scene outside the window is an inky black. An ice pack is settled on the lump on my skull. Knight assured me I passed the concussion protocol. I’m not sure how or why he knows that, but I suppose being out in the middle of nowhere a lot alone got him some pretty good medical training at some point.
The kits are fine. Knight is fine. Hilda is fine.
Am I fine?
I don’t even know anymore. But Jess most definitely is not fine. Sherriff Callahan threw him in the hoosegow faster than he could shake a stick at the vile man. The illegal trapping and animal cruelty charges, as well as the assault on me, will keep him behind bars long enough for him to consider the error of his ways.
A cup of chamomile keeps my shaking hands busy. “I can’t even drink this.”
He clucks his tongue. “Humor me, okay? You’re still pale. I’m worried about you.”
With one glance, I discover he’s just as pale as he says I am. He drops an afghan over my shoulders, big enough to swallow my whole body. I’m having a hard time meeting his gaze. “God, I’m such an idiot.”
“What are you talking about?” His eyebrows arch. “I’ll spank your luscious ass if you ever do anything that dangerous again, but because of you, Jess is in a cage himself. Why would you feel like an idiot about that? You’re the hero of the forest, Angel.”
My hand flicks through the air. “Because jumping on his back was inane. Like I thought I could bring down a two-hundred-pound man like an MMA fighter? I just felt like I had to do something.”
“Angelica, can’t you just be proud of yourself? Hell, you have more courage than any person I’ve ever met.”
The praise in his voice and the intensity of his gaze warms my heart. I meet his eyes. As if a light bulb turns on in my mind, shining softly, gaining power, I finally see myself as Knight sees me.
He loves me.
And I love him.
The emotion shines back at me through his gaze, through his smile. I was so sure he didn’t know the real Angelica enough to love her. But I underestimated him. I misjudged him.
I worked so hard to cover up all my flaws and lock away all my secrets. I hid the whole sordid truth about Dravon and his humiliating betrayal. Until I didn’t want to do that one more minute. But Knight caught me a ton of times doing inane things like I did today, jumping on the back of a bad, bad man, and he persisted in seeing only the best in me.
Giving myself the same grace doesn’t come easy, but Knight’s stubbornness makes me realize that courage lay hidden inside my quasi attack. Standing up for myself has always posed a difficult challenge and maybe it always will. But for the first time, I recognize that Knight isn’t seeing me through the stars in his eyes. I really am different than I used to be.
Stronger.
Better.
And the way he looks at me makes me believe it.
“I’m still chilly,” I say, gazing up at him from underneath hooded eyes.
“I’ll get you another blanket.”
I shake my head. “Nope. That’s not what I need to warm me up.”
“More chamomile?”
“Nope.”
His direct look sweeps my body all snuggled up underneath the blanket. “Maybe you better stay the night so I can gauge your temperature. Wouldn’t want you to get sick or something.”
“Totally. Wouldn’t want to catch a cold.”
“Probably best if you spend it in my bed then.”
“Probably.”
“With me wrapped around you.”
“I don’t think I could stay warm any other way,” I say, trying to keep my mouth firm when all I want to do is bust a gut. “Will that pass the head injury protocol?”
“Are you always going to do this to me, gorgeous girl? Put yourself in harm’s way and then get lippy?”
“You wouldn’t love me if I didn’t. Men like you, Evermore, need a woman who challenges them.”
He wraps me in his strong arms. The place where I finally feel safe. “You challenge me all right.”
I lift my mouth for a kiss, and he swoops down. I test the possibility of a future with this man. Of following him into the great unknown. Maybe just this once, I’m strong enough to take what I want and own it.
So far, for once in my life, I’m doing everything right it seems. And to indulge myself, I send up a little prayer that God will shine His grace on me just this once. My fragile heart is open and vulnerable. And if a few stolen moments turn out to be all I have left with Knight because fate denies me, I don’t want to waste a single second.
Chapter Eighteen
Angelica
A knock at the door stops me in my tracks and I set the wicks I’m cutting aside. It can’t be Knight – he just dropped me off a little bit ago because both of us have things to do today that just can’t wait. Expecting someone looking for a gift before the festival, I wipe my hands on a towel and head toward the front door.
The instant I swing it open, I regret it. I definitely did not have this on my batshittery bingo card for this Valentine’s season. My gaze travels up and stops on the familiar face. The charming smirk, the thick black hair, the chiseled jawline. Dravon hasn’t changed a single bit in the past months since he broke my heart and eradicated my trust in anything with a dick.
Until Knight stole most of it back.
The nausea bubbling up the back of my throat burns, and I try to swallow it back down to the dark depths it came from. “Dravon, why are you here?”
He smacks his full lips. “I could ask you the same question. Why the hell are you here in this shithole? I thought I might have to call in the cavalry in order to find you.”
Because I didn’t want to be found.
My gaze lands on his smug expression and I rankle. “I’ll ask you again. Why are you here?”
He sighs. “Now don’t go getting all bitchy. I get why you’re being a little icy to me, but you don’t have to be rude.”
Not knowing what else to do, I gesture to Dravon to step inside the cabin, and close the door behind him. Even though I’m not expecting Knight, I know he doesn’t know the whole story about Dravon and my runaway bride routine. After last night… hell, after all our nights together, I feel like I owe it to him to tell him the whole truth. And I can’t do that if the subject matter of my downfall is standing in my living room.
Last night I made love to Knight as if we have a future. But Dravon’s presence pushes that fantasy away at least for the time being.
He’s a loose end, heavy on the loose.
“What do you want, Dravon?” I ask, putting a hand on a hip.
He shoves a hand through that thick head of hair. “I came to apologize. I made a mistake, Angelica. But now that I’ve had time to think things through, I realize how wrong I was. My family hates my guts.”
I snort a laugh. “I’m sure they don’t hate you.”
His family never accepted me with open arms, but it’s hard to back the adulterer once word gets around in a small, small town.
His grin does nothing to melt my frost this time. “I want you to come home. I know I made a mistake. I know you probably need some time to see things my way. But we had a great relationship – a future – and I’ll do whatever it takes to get that back.”
My breath stalls in my lungs. Why can’t I ever find the right words to say when confronting someone? Especially the man who humiliated me in front of God and everybody? With shocking clarity, I realize I can’t stand the sight of him. It doesn’t matter how handsome he is, in his heart, he’s ugly. I want to say, “What about her?” But it really doesn’t matter, because she never really had anything to do with it. She was just a symptom of the underlying disease.
“Dravon, I’m sorry you came all the way up here from Iowa. You should have called first. I could have saved you the trip.”
A hint of sadness creeps into his gaze. “You’re mad at me.”
“No.”
“I hurt you. I’m sorry, Angelica. You can’t even know how much.”
“I’m not hurt. Not anymore,” I say in a voice barely above a whisper. “To be honest, I’m grateful to you. I realize now that a marriage would never have worked out for us. Not in the long run. We’re too different. We want different things.”
“But we had great times too.”
I nod. “Of course we did, and I’ll always treasure those memories.” No one could be as fun as Dravon when he’s in a good mood. Like today. But the darkness can sweep over him in an instant like a storm cloud in summer. “We had fun. But we don’t value any of the same things. Anything long-term would never work. When we got together, we were too young to realize it.”
“We do value the same things,” he argues. “And I’ll prove it.”
A jolt of unease shoots through me when he starts to take off his coat. “Nope. Put that back on. You’re not staying.”
“You can bet that I am. I got a look at this Podunk town when I drove through. You don’t belong up here. And I’m staying until I can convince you to come back home where you belong.”
*****
Len watches me peel off my parka and reach for my notepad. “I hear your fiancé is in Sweetheart Hills. How come you didn’t tell me about him, Angelica?”
I whirl around, ready to do verbal battle. “Is he in the restaurant?”
“Not now. Came by earlier, looking for you, stuck around for a little man to man. Really seems to love you, that guy.”
My eyes narrow into slits. “Dravon most definitely does not love me.”
Len waves my words away. Leave it to a man to believe another man. One he doesn’t even know. “Hmm… to hear him tell it, he does. He came a long way for you.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. “Was Knight here today?”
“Nope. Ain’t seen Knight in days.”
Neither have I, but we’re bound to get together soon. And now I have to worry that Dravon will be in the vicinity when that happens. And he’ll approach Knight and start shooting his delusional mouth off about our non-relationship before I can tell Knight the whole story. My stomach flips over, and I pour myself a glass of Sprite from the soda gun. I already tried being nice to Dravon. Explaining things to Dravon. All that bought me was a renewed promise that he wasn’t going home without me because I belong with him.
As if.
Before coming to work, I stopped for gum at the convenience store on the corner. Every single person inside congratulated me on my engagement and my handsome out-of-town boyfriend. How romantic that he came all this way to fetch me. Would I be going back to Iowa before or after the Sweetheart festival? Could they buy candles before I leave?
Dammit all to hell.
Grand gestures can be wonderful – if they’re heartfelt. But deep down, Dravon has to know how wrong we are for each other. Hell, he couldn’t even stay faithful during the honeymoon phase. What will happen ten, twenty years down the line?
Now I know I need a man who supports me and my dreams. Who doesn’t shoot me down at every turn thinking he’s smarter and more important. A man who makes me come apart with just a whisper of a touch.
I need Knight.
And what is the man I really love going to think when he hears all this chatter that gets more embellished and stronger as it travels on down the town gossip line? He’s going to take one look at Dravon and think I’m a shallow twit to fall for a pretty face and deep pockets.
I hear voices coming from the corner booth, customers are waiting on me, and I wrap an apron around my waist and hurry out to the floor. It’s luck alone that’s keeping Knight from Dravon’s bullshit, because he’s busy getting the kits ready to relocate to their ideal habitat in the Boundary Waters.
Not long ago, I could have sworn my days of causing awkward scenes were finally over. That I’d finally developed some poise and aplomb. I’ve turned into a woman Knight is proud to call his. More importantly, I’ve turned into a woman I’m proud to be.
And there’s no way I’m going to allow that heartbreaker Dravon to implode everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve in Sweetheart Hills. Nope. It’s past time I tell Knight the whole sordid story. I no longer want any secrets between us. But in the meantime, Dravon and his delusions aren’t Knight’s problem.
They’re mine.
And I have to fix them.
Chapter Nineteen
Knight
Martin Callahan lifts the glass coffeepot with a grimace. “Sorry we don’t have one of those newfangled Keurig machines. We kick it old school here.”
“No problem. Caffeine is caffeine. It’s just too bad we can’t mainline it.” I accept the mug emblazoned with a golden badge and lean back in the rickety chair facing the sheriff’s metal desk. Between taking care of the kits and strengthening the arrangements to relocate them to a safer habitat, I’ve been running on empty. All I want is to catch a glimpse of my perfect Angelica for a little sustenance, but I haven’t even had time to fire off a text yet this morning.
The sheriff’s office is only a few buildings down from Cool Beans. Basically, all of Sweetheart Hills is contained on the town’s quaint Main Street. When Callahan asked me to come in to discuss a few things, I didn’t argue. Once I’m done, I can head over to the coffee shop and see if Angelica is done with the rush. My muscles bunch into a tight wad of nerves based on some confounding news I heard earlier. Callahan drones on about how he doesn’t have much to do lately with the summer tourists gone home and winter setting in. The conversation wanders from gossip to the weather and ultimately ends up right where I want it.
Jess.
“I knew he was dabbling in a little 420,” Callahan says. “I found him growing some out at his place. Never did bring him in for it. Just wasn’t worth it, since it wasn’t a felony. But in hindsight, I guess when you mix an asshole with drugs, it’s a recipe for no good. If I had it to do over again…”
I nod. “At least you caught him this time. The marijuana growing along with the assault should be enough to keep him off the streets for a while. I’m sure Angelica isn’t the only woman Jess has been harassing on a regular basis. Hopefully, he hasn’t put any others in harm’s way.” At the sudden sound of screeching brakes outside the window, I swing my head around.
“What the hell?” Callahan rises from his chair, the metal squeaking underneath his effort. “There’s some kind of chaos outside of Cool Beans.”
The truck driver who hit the brakes flips another driver the bird and peels off in a fit of rage and dust. Once the truck passes, I stare at a crowd spilling out into the street. A tall black-haired man backs out the front door, his hands raised in surrender. My gaze narrows because I know everyone in Sweetheart Hills by now and I don’t know this guy from Adam. And with the way he looks and the way he’s dressed – totally uptown – I’d remember him. He stands out like a sore thumb. And because of that, I know who he is without verification.
The fucking rumors are true.
“Damn strangers,” Callahan mutters. “This one’s causing a ruckus from what I hear through the grapevine.”
“Yeah, I can guess who that is even though I’ve never seen him before. I couldn’t go anywhere today without every single person I came in contact with gleefully telling me about him.”
“That doesn’t surprise me, knowing how this town thrives on gossip during down times.” Callahan hisses in a breath and points a stubby finger. “What the hell is Angelica doing?”
I stare, my chest puffing up a bit with pride. “Looks like she’s telling the dude to get lost.”
Callahan snorts a laugh and then we both grab our coats and head outside for a better look. In this one instance, I value my abnormal height since I can see over everyone in front of me. My pulse riots in my veins. All day I’ve been hearing about Dravon Black, Angelica’s supposed fiancé in from Iowa.
Ooh, Dravon is so handsome.
Ooh, Dravon is so charming.
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Ooh, Dravon is so romantic.
As far as I’m concerned, Dravon’s a major asshat. But I can’t really solidify that thought in my own mind and heart until Angelica tells me it’s true. Angelica avoids getting too off in the weeds about Dravon, but I know he shattered her heart into a million pieces. He made getting close to her an exercise in frustration for me. That alone is enough to hate his perfectly coiffed black hair, perfectly tailored pea coat and everything underneath them.
In a way, I’m glad he showed up uninvited, unannounced and unwelcome. Because now, Angelica will have something that’s denied so many of us in this life.
Closure.
I inspect my rival as my mind drifts back to all the dreamy looks and sighs the town’s women gave me all day when talking about the elusive Dravon. He does have one thing going for him – stability. That’s the one thing Angelica wants that I can’t give her.
I hope the fact that I can give her everything else will be enough.
I can love her so hard and deep she won’t need anything more than that.
But she has to believe in me. And first, she has to believe in herself.
Their argument heats up, loud enough for me to catch the words now, and a tic in my cheek tugs at the skin. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to let her deal with Dravon herself when all I want to do is knock him on his designer jeans clad ass. Angelica needs to finish this her way. I can’t interfere no matter how much I want to. I remember what happened the last time I jumped in and tried to help her when my help wasn’t wanted. Lesson learned.
There will come times in the future when Angelica will need a hero. This is not one of those times. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to rearrange Dravon’s pretty face into a Picasso painting.
“Angelica, just calm the hell down!” Dravon shouts, backing up a few more steps. “Quit yelling at me. Jesus, you used to be so sweet. You’re like a feral cat baring it’s claws now. What has this place done to you?”
Finally A Bride: A Valentine's Day Romance Page 15
