After the Rain (The Callahans) Read online

  Kylie rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Mother.”

  Faye frowned. “She’s really worried, Kylie—and for good reason.”

  “Don’t.” Kylie said, softly. She squeezed her friend’s hands tightly. “We haven’t seen each other for three years. I don’t want to start off like this. Besides,” she said, forcing a carefree expression onto her face. “I told her I was taking a trip, Faye. I am twenty-five years old. I can do that without asking permission from my mother.”

  Faye opened her mouth to say something, but Dusty cut her off. “Why don’t you take off and show Kylie the house? I can get Joe or Elle to help in here until dinner rush. Then I’ll have a full crew covering.”

  Kylie didn’t miss the look he gave Faye. Clearly, he was telling her to calm down without saying it out-loud. Faye appeared to get the message because she relaxed a little and smiled again. “You’re going to love this place. It’s so great! The weather’s awesome—hot but awesome. We’ve got a pool out back and horses and a lake not far from the house. We’re going to have so much fun! How long are you staying?”

  “I don’t know. My jeep’s giving me some trouble, so I’m not going anywhere for the time being.”

  “Damn straight, you’re not. We’ve got tons to catch up on. Besides, you’re a teacher. You have the whole summer off.”

  “I have to go home and work on my house at some point, Faye,” Kylie reminded her friend. “And I’ll likely have to look at getting a new car now.”

  “There’s plenty of time for that. I’ve missed the heck out of you!” Faye squeezed her tightly again. “I can’t wait to show you around!”

  “Don’t forget about dinner tonight,” Dusty reminded her as she dragged Kylie toward the door. He nodded at Kylie and smiled. “It was nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” she said, easily and she knew she liked Dusty Callahan already.

  2

  A two door, dark green 4x4 pickup was not the kind of vehicle Kylie would have pegged Faye to own. Back in high school, she’d owned a tiny little 280Z, with pink fuzzy dice that dangled carelessly off of the rearview mirror.

  Climbing into the roomy truck, Kylie fastened her seatbelt and blissfully stuck her face in direct line of the air vent.

  “Told you it’s hot,” Faye said, turning the radio down.

  Kylie looked at her friend closely again. She really did look good. Healthy and vibrant. In three years, a few more lines were visible at the corner of her large almond eyes, but otherwise, her pixie face remained unchanged.

  “You really do look good,” Kylie reiterated, smiling as she swiped at her sweaty hair. “I’m embarrassed that I showed up looking so bedraggled.”

  “You look fine,” Faye said, nonchalantly. She slipped some sunglasses over her eyes and smiled, mischievously. “So what do you think of him?”

  “You mean, Dusty?”

  “Of course I mean Dusty. Who do you think I mean?”

  Kylie grinned. “He’s nice, Faye. I like him.”

  “Isn’t he beautiful?”

  Kylie figured the description was accurate enough. She had never used beautiful before to describe a man, but Dusty Callahan had something about him that made the word fit—in a masculine kind of way. “How is it that he lives in a town that shares his name?” she finally asked, curiously.

  “A great grandfather—I’m not sure how many years ago—helped found the town,” Faye answered. “The name stuck. Pretty cool, huh?”

  Kylie nodded in agreement. Not everyone could say they had a town named after their family.

  “Anyway, Dusty’s got three brothers that look just like him. We do dinner together at the restaurant every Friday night. They’re great. Elle is too. She’s the only girl. She’s twenty-eight and has a two-year-old baby named Amy. She’s married to Leo.”

  Kylie listened as Faye babbled on about her new “family”.

  “Trey is the next oldest to Dusty. He lives here in Arizona too. Then there’s Beau. He’s a baseball player. He plays for the Texas Rangers.” Faye sped the truck off the main road and onto a rather bumpy dirt path. “He’s on the road right now, so you won’t meet him right away, unless he gets a break. He was MVP of the league, two years running. Pretty cool, huh?”

  Kylie had heard of Beau Callahan, vaguely. “That’s wild.”

  “Yeah. He’s a super nice guy. Last but not least, there’s Joey. You’ll meet him in a few minutes. He was at the house when I left earlier. He’s the baby of the family. He works at the restaurant with Dusty and me most of the time. He’s cuter than a button, but watch yourself with that one. He’s got women flocking to him from miles around.”

  Kylie grabbed hold of the door as Faye flung the truck into third gear and nearly burned out, leaving a pile of dust in her wake. “What is with your driving? It’s worse than it’s ever been.” She rolled her eyes at her friend and struggled to keep herself from sliding across the seat.

  Nonplussed, Faye continued with her prattle. “You are going to love this place, Kyle. You’re never going to want to leave.”

  “I have to leave sometime, Faye. I have a job.”

  “I had a job too,” Faye said, winking at her. “I was only here for the summer, remember?”

  That was true, Kylie recalled. The summer after graduating college, Faye had come here, actually on her way to Phoenix and a new career as a veterinary assistant, only to be sidetracked when she walked into a certain Bar and Grill and set her eyes on a certain bartender. She’d never made it to Phoenix, much to the chagrin of her parents, who had spent thousands putting her through college.

  “I have a life to get back to,” Kylie said, firmly.

  “Not really. Not according to your mother.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes, irritated. Felice Rhodes had managed to cause her nothing but trouble over the past few weeks.

  “I heard about Paul.”

  Bristling, Kylie shrugged. Her ex-boyfriend wasn’t a hot topic with her these days.

  “Cheating bastard,” Faye snapped.

  “It wasn’t meant to be.” Kylie flipped a switch and turned up the cold air. “Just drop it, okay?”

  “Whatever you say.” They drove in silence for a bit. “You should call your mom, you know. She is worried,” Faye finally said, quietly. “I know you’re mad at her but she was concerned.”

  “I should have called her,” Kylie relented. “She’s so intense sometimes. I don’t know…” Kylie’s voice trailed off.

  “It’s hard for her too, Kylie. She loves you.”

  “I know she does.”

  “So what made you take off like you did?”

  “I just wanted to see you.” Kylie watched the scenery fly by. “And I needed a change.”

  “Because of the thing with Paul,” Faye figured aloud.

  “I didn’t love him,” Kylie said, defiantly, then shrugged. “I guess I just didn’t think he’d cheat and bail after two years.”

  “Most men are dicks,” Faye said, turning the truck down a private road, lined with white wooden fencing on both sides. “Good riddance to the prick.”

  Kylie smiled at that. Paul, her all too perfect, expensive suit wearing, exquisitely coifed, ex-boyfriend, would not appreciate being called a prick. He rarely used language of that nature.

  “Check it out,” Faye exclaimed as they cleared a section of fencing and entered what appeared to be a parking area. There were four or five cars parked sporadically around the dirt drive. A large, red barn sat to one side of the fence. Just beyond, was the largest farmhouse Kylie had ever seen. It looked more like a mansion with a warm country style. Each of its windows was framed with large, white shutters. The paint was yellow with white trim. A huge wrap around porch, complete with a porch swing, capped off its elegance perfectly. Immediately, she was in love with the place.

  “There’s a pool out back and a guesthouse. Trey lives there.”

  Kylie breathed in some air as she gazed around the large area. The yard was filled with pal
m trees and beauty bark. There was a reasonable area of partially green grass, to the right of the porch. A large jungle gym was set up there and a picnic table sat next to it. The rest of the yard was either dirt or bark.

  “It’s hard to keep grass healthy around here. Too dry.” Faye headed up the steps. “The swing set’s for Elle’s little one. She’s over a lot.”

  Before Faye could open the door, it swung open on its own and Kylie faced yet another black-haired Adonis. This one was likely Joe, she reasoned, smiling as the man stepped through the doorway. All she could think of was that these boys obviously had very healthy genes. Joey Callahan was just as striking as his brother.

  It was apparent that the Callahan men shared the same black hair and dark eyes. This one was nearly as tall as his brother was. He had a smaller build but the muscles in his chest were more evident through his white T-shirt. His bare legs, clad in a pair of swimming trunks, were well toned and long. He was another dreamboat, as Faye so helpfully put it.

  “Why the hell didn’t you call me? I’ve got the bags.” Joe glared at Faye for a moment and then turned to Kylie and his frown melted. “Hey, you must be the girl from Montana. The one everyone’s looking for.”

  Kylie felt her skin grow hot again. “Kylie,” she supplied, forcing a smile. “And you must be Joe.”

  “I am,” he confirmed, offering her his hand. His dark eyes perused her, curiously. “Tiny little thing. Better take her and feed her some of Mamaw’s cooking.”

  Rolling her eyes, Faye grabbed Kylie’s arm, nearly dragging her through the large entryway. “I want to show her around before dinner.”

  “Pool’s a good temperature. Take a dip,” Joe suggested, grabbing Kylie’s things. “I’ll put her stuff in Elle’s old room.”

  “I really should just stay in a motel,” Kylie said, quietly, her eyes locking with Faye’s. She knew her friend knew her reasons for wanting to be alone at night.

  “Please,” Joe scoffed, obliviously, already heading through the front door. “She’s been talking about you visiting for years. She’s not going to let you out of her sight, let alone let you stay in a motel.”

  When he was gone, Faye’s expression turned sad. “I’d hoped things had gotten better after all this time. Are you having nightmares again?”

  Kylie sat down next to her friend and sighed. “Only sometimes. Most nights I’m fine. I’m adjusting to life without Paul. I’m enjoying it, Faye. Don’t overanalyze things.”

  “You’re alone.”

  “Because I want to be. That’s my choice.”

  Faye gave her a knowing look.

  “I have a lot of baggage, Faye. I haven’t found a man yet that could handle it.”

  “You can’t base your opinion of all men on that loser. I never liked him. He was a selfish bastard.”

  “I realize that.” Kylie stared out at the sparkling blue water of the large, kidney shaped swimming pool. She had to admit, it did look enticing.

  “I can’t wait for you to meet everyone.” Faye hopped up, apparently deciding to let the subject drop for now. “And I have a surprise for you!”

  Kylie couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “How could you have a surprise for me, you didn’t even know I was coming?”

  “I tried reaching you by phone but you were missing,” Faye said, ignoring the roll of Kylie’s eyes at the mention of her missing status. “I’m pregnant, Kyle. Dusty and I are getting married. I want you to be my maid of honor.”

  Kylie’s eyes grew wide. Shocked, she looked her friend up and down. So that was where the extra few pounds had come from. She always had remembered Faye being rail thin. Standing up, she hugged her friend tightly. “Congratulations!”

  “Thanks!” Faye said, happily, then pulled back and studied Kylie closely. “So will you do it? Will you stay until August and be my maid of honor? We wanted to get the wedding handled sooner than that but I can’t get it planned any faster.”

  “Of course I’ll be there,” Kylie said, without preamble. “I can’t believe it! A baby!”

  Faye blushed nervously, setting a proprietary hand over her only slightly rounded tummy. “I know. This is a big step for me.”

  “I’m so happy for you!” Kylie hugged her again. “So when’s the big day? And when is the baby due?”

  “Baby’s not due until February. We’re getting married on the twenty-third of August.”

  “I wondered why Joe was giving you the evil eye for handling my bags.”

  Faye rolled her eyes. “They’re over-protective mother hens—all of them. Ever since they found out about the baby, they’ve all been breathing down my neck when Dusty can’t.”

  “They obviously care about you.”

  Faye smiled at that. “I care about them too. Now we should hurry. Dusty hates when we’re late for dinner.”

  Kylie grabbed her friend’s arm to slow her down. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” Faye said, squeezing Kylie’s hand.

  “Did you tell them all? I mean about…” Her voice broke off and she sighed. “You know.”

  “Dusty knows. He couldn’t figure out why your mother and I were in such a panic when we couldn’t find you. He didn’t realize we’d both been through this before.”

  Kylie wanted to be angry with her friend but she couldn’t. “Just don’t tell anyone else, okay?”

  “I won’t. Now come on! I’m starved!”

  3

  Trey Callahan whipped his police issued Blazer into the parking lot in front of Callahan’s Bar and Grill. He wasn’t parked legally, but he didn’t really give a rip. He was the sheriff and he always parked any damn place he wanted. It wasn’t like his own deputies were going to tow him or give him a ticket.

  He was late for dinner—again. This made three weeks in a row that he’d managed to get to the restaurant over an hour late. This would get him wrath from Dusty, who was as punctual as Christmas Day. Time wasn’t something Trey managed to pay a lot of attention to. He worked pretty much every day—all day and all night—being on call. He took one day off a week, which was Sunday, at the insistence of his grandmother, who still believed in the day of rest. Sunday was the Sabbath.

  Friday nights were the worst for him. People headed in and out of town. That meant he watched things more closely.

  Climbing out of his truck, he swiped a hand through his unruly locks. He needed a haircut, he reminded himself, for the second time that day. The first time—which had actually come as a surprise to him—had been out on the highway earlier in the day, when he’d helped a rather attractive damsel in distress. For some reason, she’d made him conscious of the fact that he looked like a slob, something he hadn’t noticed about himself for quite some time.

  Thinking back to the out-of-state blond, he frowned. She’d been a strange one. Most disabled’s met a cop with open arms. Not this one. She’d nearly refused to open her window.

  He had to admit, that besides the badge he wore clipped to his belt and the gun he kept in the shoulder holster under his right arm, it wasn’t obvious to the eye that he was the sheriff of Callahan County. Things around here were laid back. It was too hot to wear a stuffy uniform. No one around here had questioned his choice of attire—not in the three and a half years he’d been part of the police department. Of course, that department only consisted of five people, including himself. He was the only one who didn’t dress for the occupation. He supposed no one cared enough about what he wore to say anything about it. Even the mayor wore jeans and a T-shirt every day.

  Shrugging his doubt aside, he grabbed his wallet from the glove box and shoved it into his back pocket, before letting the truck door slam shut.

  “Always late, aren’t you?”

  Trey looked up and grinned when he saw his little sister on the sidewalk, walking back and forth with her two-year-old daughter in her arms. The little girl squealed with delight when she caught sight of her favorite uncle.

  “Jeeze, a minute ago she was s
creaming so loud that no one could stand it.”

  “No way, not my favorite niece.” He walked over and took little Amy from her mother’s arms. “You just don’t have the magic touch. Kids understand me.” He cradled Amy to his chest, tickling her lightly as he walked into the bar, Elle at his heels.

  “It’s about damned time!” Dusty said when he saw his brother.

  “Hung up arresting someone, Sheriff?” This came from Joe, who was seated at one of the tables that were pushed together every Friday night for the family meal.

  Trey gave them a sheepish look. “I have an excuse. Things were busy today. Timmy Pickett got caught trying to steal one of the Lancaster’s pigs.” He walked toward the section of the bar where his family was seated amidst the normal hustle and bustle of the busy grill. Friday night was usually one of the biggest nights for the restaurant and tonight was nothing different. The place was crawling with patrons, all of whom waved at Trey. He greeted a few people before finally turning back to his family. That’s when he noticed the extra guest at the table. He thought he was seeing things at first. He did a double take and lifted his sunglasses from his nose. Then he narrowed his gaze. It was definitely her—the out-of-stater from the highway earlier that day. She looked a whole lot better now. Her blond hair was neatly pulled back in some kind of barrette and her face, which had earlier been flushed from the heat, now looked fresh and clean. He could see she’d added something to her skin, though he couldn’t put his finger on what. Lip stick, maybe. It looked…nice, he decided.

  Their gazes locked and they both stared, neither apparently knowing what to say. She flushed again, and this time he forced a smile.

  “Hey, Montana,” he said the first thing that popped into his head.

  “Huh?” Faye retorted, looking at him as though he was crazy.

  “We’ve met,” he replied, bouncing Amy, who was beginning to get fussy.

  “I told you she’s crabby,” Elle said, reaching for her daughter.

  “She’s fine. Eat,” Trey ordered, knowing Leo and Elle rarely got a peaceful meal, what with having a needy toddler around.