After the Rain (The Callahans) Page 4

“Yeah. I don’t get to see it much where I live. I have no view of any kind.”

  “That’s too bad. I’ve been spoiled pretty much my whole life, living here.” He leaned against the porch railing. “Except when I lived in LA. I was a cop there for a while—lived in a real dump.”

  She stared up at him and for the first time, realized that his eyes weren’t brown, like those of his siblings. They were blue. A very distinct blue—like the sky on a sunny day.

  “Do I have something on my face?” he asked, a trace of amusement in his voice.

  She felt her cheeks warm and shook her head. “No. I just realized for the first time, that your eyes aren’t brown.”

  “Nope. Blue. My brothers used to tease me that I was the mailman’s baby.”

  She had to smile at that. “That’s not very nice.”

  “We were relentless when we teased.” He took a sip of coffee. “Our dad was white—blue eyes and blond hair. I have some toe headed cousins in Ohio.”

  “I have some brunette cousins in Ohio too.”

  He laughed and the sound was pleasant, she decided, immediately. In fact, the way his face lit up when he smiled was nice too. She felt her cheeks grow hot and looked away.

  “So anyway, I was thinking more about the carnival and what you could do to help out.” He was quiet for a long moment and she realized he was waiting for her to look at him. Reluctantly, she did.

  “You could paint faces if you want. Maribel at the Perfect Cut has been doing it for the last couple of years but she’s talking about running a facial booth or something.”

  “You want me to paint faces?”

  “Faye said you’re good at it, right?”

  “I’ve done it before,” was all she said. She was confused as to what the motivation behind this was. Why was Faye so obsessed that she had obviously begged this man to hound Kylie about the carnival?

  “She’s a good friend. Faye, I mean. She’s been talking about you since she moved here. It’s nice that you’re finally here. You should stick around a while.”

  “I have a home and a job.” She felt as though she’d said that same thing a hundred times since she’d come to Callahan.”

  “Yeah, so you said.”

  She looked at him and again, he was watching her intently. He leaned back against the porch railing, his jean clad legs crossed at the ankles. He leisurely sipped his coffee, quiet suddenly.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  She fidgeted uncomfortably. “Look, I know you must wonder what happened last night. I didn’t mean to freak everyone out. I just…” Her voice broke off and she sighed. “Sometimes I have bad dreams.”

  “Everyone has bad dreams sometimes. I’ve had some myself.”

  She looked skeptical. “About what?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Lots of things. Like I said, I was a cop in LA. Trust me, bad is worse there.”

  “Is that why you came back here?” She knew she was prying and yet she couldn’t stop herself. The man intrigued her, good looks and all.

  “Some of the reason.” He stood up straight, abruptly. “So can you cook?”

  The question caught her off guard. “Like in, food?”

  “That’s what I had in mind.” He rubbed his flat stomach. “I’m starved. I always eat breakfast at the main house. I’d waste away, with nothing but Ding Dongs and fruit pies, if I didn’t.”

  “So you’re asking me to cook you breakfast?” She was surprised that he wasn’t prying more about the night before. He was giving her space and she respected that. It made her like him even more, which made her nervous.

  “I can help. I know how to fry an egg and I make a mean pancake.”

  “I can’t crack eggs. I get the shells in them.”

  He thought that over, an amused grin on his face. Finally, he shrugged. “Me, too. We’ll pick ’em out. No one will ever know.”

  A half an hour later, they had successfully made a breakfast of eggs (with only a few shells in them) and pancakes, which Kylie had to admit, tasted delicious. He was good at shaping the pancakes into cartoon characters too, she discovered, as she watched him work with the spatula. He’d done Mickey Mouse, Sponge Bob and Yogi Bear. She grinned as he shaped up the last one to look like Scooby Doo.

  “You have a gift.”

  “Yeah. Amy loves it.”

  “I can tell you really like her. You must like kids a lot.”

  He shrugged and nodded, turning the burner off and putting the frying pan to soak in the sink. “Kids are fun, innocent. They’re easy to be around—and when you’re tired of them you can send them home to their parents.”

  She laughed. “That’s why I do what I do for a living.”

  “You want kids of your own someday?”

  The question caught her off guard and she paused to think about that. “I do,” she decided. “Someday.”

  “Yeah, me too. I’m excited for Faye and Dusty. He’s been worried about whether or not he’d ever have any kids of his own.” Trey sat down at the table and dug into a plate of pancakes. Kylie joined him, taking a drink of orange juice.

  “He’s still young. They have time to have a whole houseful if they want.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “That’s a pretty good Sponge Bob,” she remarked, looking critically at the cartoon character pancake on her plate. “It’s almost too pretty to cut into.”

  “Pretty?” He narrowed his gaze at her and before she could stop him, reached across her and cut the pancake across the middle, in an ugly jagged line. Instinctively, she grabbed his arm to push his fork away, before it did any more damage. They were laughing a minute later. That is how Faye and Dusty found them.

  “Wow, you guys are up early,” Faye’s voice said, tinged with surprise.

  Kylie, startled, moved her hand from Trey’s arm, feeling like she’d been caught in the act of something bad.

  Trey’s laughter died slowly and he met Faye’s gaze. “I’m up early every day.”

  “I meant Kylie.” Faye’s expression turned concerned. “I thought—”

  “Great pancakes,” Dusty interrupted. Faye shot him a look and he shot her one back. Kylie watched the entire exchange.

  “You can stop tip-toeing around. I had a bad night. I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be sorry,” Faye said. Dusty nodded his agreement.

  Kylie stood and carried her uneaten breakfast over to the sink. “Well, I am. I’m sure it was just the excitement of the new environment and all.” She avoided Faye’s gaze and looked at Dusty. “I was wondering if there is somewhere private I can use the phone? I probably need to call my mother before she brings in the FBI.”

  “You can use the den,” Dusty offered, pointing her into the hallway. “Third door on the right.”

  Kylie disappeared down the hall, knowing they were probably going to talk about her when she left the room.

  She found the phone in the den and dialed her mother’s number. Felice answered on the first ring, out of breath.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Oh thank God.” Felice breathed, deeply. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

  “I have a pretty good idea. Faye mentioned you called her. I wish you hadn’t.”

  “Kylie Marie Rhodes, I had no idea where you were. What did you expect me to do when you disappeared for nearly three weeks, without a phone call?”

  “I told you I was leaving, Mother. I talked to you about it.”

  “You didn’t give me specifics.” Felice’s voice lowered. “Your father was worried too.”

  “I’m sorry.” Kylie leaned back in the chair and shut her eyes.

  “I suppose since you’re alright, getting upset would be a moot point. Just please don’t disappear without calling again. Paul was worried too.”

  “Paul?”

  “When I couldn’t find you I called him looking for you.” Felice paused. “He’s very concerned, Kylie.”

&nbs
p; “I’ll bet he is. Look, Mom, I can’t tie up Dusty’s phone. I’ll be in touch. I’m going to be sticking around here for a while, until Faye gets married.”

  “That long?” Felice was quiet for a moment and Kylie braced herself for an argument. She ended up being pleasantly surprised.

  “She invited us. Your father will probably have a conference that weekend. We’ll see if we can make it.”

  She was shocked that her mother wasn’t arguing but she decided to consider herself lucky and not question the blessing. “I’m sure Faye will understand if you can’t.”

  “We’ll see,” her mother said again.

  “Okay,” Kylie agreed. A moment later, she hung up. She hated the fact that she and her mother didn’t see eye to eye on much. They never really had. After the attack, they had drifted even further apart. Felice had wanted things swept under the carpet and Kylie, mentally, had been unable to do that. The incident had literally torn them apart, emotionally and physically.

  Deciding it was time for the walk she’d intended to take that morning, she got up and headed back toward the kitchen. She heard voices as she rounded the corner.

  “What’s the big fricken deal if I ask her to go to a movie or something?” Joey was saying. “I’m just being nice.”

  “No!” both Dusty and Trey said at the same time.

  Joey looked at them, irritably. “Why not?”

  “Because she’s not your type,” Trey said, sounding annoyed. “And because all you’re interested in is getting into her pants.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Joey snapped back.

  “He’s right, she’s not your type,” Dusty’s voice said.

  No names were mentioned but Kylie had the feeling they were most likely talking about her. She didn’t know if she should be flattered that Joey wanted to ask her out on a date, or insulted that Trey didn’t think she was his type. Just whose type was she?

  “I thought you said women like Kylie weren’t your thing, big brother. I get the feeling that maybe I’m stepping in on your territory.”

  Kylie felt her heart start pounding erratically.

  “Shut the hell up. You’re such a little shit, Joe.”

  “Hey Dusty, he likes her,” Joey quipped.

  “Shut up, Joe.” This came from Dusty.

  “She’s free game. Why don’t I just let her decide if she wants to go to a movie with me?”

  “I said no.” Trey sounded downright belligerent now. “Don’t mess with this one.”

  Kylie peered around the corner and saw the two men standing nearly nose to nose. Trey had a couple of inches on his little brother and Joey was staring up at him, angrily.

  “If you’re interested in her yourself, why don’t you just say so, instead of being a dick about it?”

  “Because I’m not interested,” Trey snapped, backing away. “I feel sorry for her having to deal with a little punk like you.”

  Kylie felt the squeeze on her heart instantly, at the meaning of his words. For some reason they made her feel that very familiar emptiness inside. It wasn’t that she had liked him…in that way anyway. It was that she’d felt like she’d clicked with him on another level. Obviously, he had only been being nice—playing the part of Faye’s future brother-in-law.

  At that moment, he turned and their eyes locked. Embarrassment heated her cheeks. Quickly, she left the room.

  6

  The fortunate thing about the Callahan’s beautiful land was that there were more than enough places to hide out and think. After the debacle in the kitchen earlier that morning, Kylie had come outside and wandered the grounds, carefully taking in each bit of nature. There was something so alive about this place—something so peaceful. For the first time in a long time, walking around by herself wasn’t so frightening.

  She’d heard Faye and Dusty drive off hours earlier—and Trey before that. She didn’t know what had become of Joey. She was glad. Truthfully, she didn’t want him to hit on her. She didn’t know why, but she almost had the feeling Trey was right—she wasn’t Joey’s type. He was young and wild. He most likely preferred his women the same way and Kylie was definitely not wild. She wasn’t that young anymore either. At least not compared to his twenty-two years.

  The more she walked, the more Kylie began to understand what had drawn Faye here to live permanently. A person could do a lot of thinking, while taking in the simple treasures of nature. Everything seemed so clear—so free for the taking.

  She didn’t realize how far she’d walked until she came upon a two-seated wooden swing set that sat on the edge of the fence line, just behind the guesthouse Trey lived in. Without thinking about it, she sat down on one of the swings and wrapped her hands around the ropes. For several moments, she just sat there staring out at the sky.

  Someone coughed behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin, in an effort to turn around. She thought maybe Joey had ventured out after her, but instead she found Trey standing in the back doorway of the guesthouse, a sandwich in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. It was then that she realized how long she’d been out walking. It was nearly noon.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone was home.”

  “You’ve got the run of the place, Montana. Don’t worry about me.”

  The nickname he’d given her only made her pause for a moment. He’d called her that the night before and it had been oddly comforting. It still was.

  “Want half a sandwich? Ham and cheese,” he offered, sauntering down the back steps.

  She shook her head. “I’ll go in and make myself something in a while.”

  “You don’t each much, do you?” he observed, as he walked over to where she sat on the swing. As he reached her, she realized he was obviously working. His badge was clipped to his belt and his gun was neatly in place under his right arm. He looked official and intimidating. She didn’t know whether that bothered her or made her feel more at ease.

  He took a large bite of his sandwich and then washed it down with a gulp of water. He offered her the bottle, once he was done.

  She realized she was thirsty and took a long gulp, before handing it back. “I eat when I’m hungry.”

  “Which is never, far as I can tell.”

  She shrugged, starting to get up.

  “Sit down.”

  She shot him a sidelong glance, her stomach doing a funny flipping sort of thing when their eyes met. Damn it, she was starting to like him way too much. This fact annoyed her even more, now that she knew he didn’t like her.

  “I don’t bite. You can stay here as long as you like.”

  She sat back down, but remained silent.

  “It’s nice out here, huh?”

  “It’s peaceful.”

  They were both quiet for a moment.

  “Look,” he began. “About this morning. I don’t know what you heard—”

  “Forget it.”

  “Forget what?”

  “What I heard.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What did you hear?”

  “You know what you said, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. But I don’t know how much you heard. I don’t want to apologize for something I said that maybe you didn’t hear and will just tick you off more now.”

  His logic made her smile, in spite of her uneasiness.

  “I really am sorry. Things came out wrong. I was pissed at my brother. He’s annoying.”

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  “I hurt your feelings.”

  “I’m fine, Trey.” She gave the swing a little push and it began to sway back and forth.

  He swallowed the last of his sandwich and sat down on the swing next to hers. “Look, I’m going be honest with you here. I have a thing about relationships. I know you heard some of what was said, so I should probably explain. It’s nothing personal. I…..” He broke off, obviously choosing his words carefully.

  “Got burned once,” she figured aloud.

  “Something like that. I didn’t m
ean to insult you though. It’s nothing to do with you.”

  “Just because one woman is bad, doesn’t mean we all are.”

  He appeared to think that over. “No, it doesn’t. Once bitten, twice shy though. I just don’t do serious relationships.”

  “I can relate to that.” She wanted the words back once they were out, but of course, it was too late by then.

  “So we’re okay? You accept my apology?”

  “You don’t need to apologize. In a way, I know you were looking out for me. Faye told me your brother’s a player.”

  “He is,” he agreed. “He’s a nice guy and he’d do anything for anyone. But getting serious isn’t on his agenda.”

  “I wasn’t planning to go out with him. I just got out of a relationship myself, not too long ago. I’m playing the field for a while.”

  “Creep, huh?”

  She shrugged, knowing that she and Paul’s problems hadn’t all been his fault. She’d let him down just as much as he’d let her down. “We just didn’t work out.”

  “I know how that is. I was married once.”

  “The one who burned you?” she assumed, aloud.

  “Bingo,” was all he said.

  “What happened?” She was being nosey but she couldn’t help herself. He interested her, though she wasn’t completely sure why yet. There was something about him that drew her in on more than one level.

  “Long story,” he answered, hesitantly. “A long, ugly story. Now’s not really the time. Let’s just say she was the reason I was in LA and she was the reason I came back here.” He stared out at the sky along with her for several quiet seconds. “I should get back to my rounds.” He spoke but he didn’t move.

  “I guess I should check in with the garage and see what’s going on with my jeep.” She didn’t move either.

  An uncomfortable silence ensued. Eventually, he broke it. “So are you sticking around for a while?”

  “I’m not sure exactly,” she admitted. “Faye wants me here for the wedding, but I may go home and come back.” She’d told her mother she was staying and she did want to, she discovered. She liked it here. She liked Callahan and she liked Faye’s new family. But staying around? She just didn’t know if that was something she was going to be able to do yet—especially after what had happened the night before. Another nightmare like that one and she was definitely heading home.