He glanced at
his brother and Sara-Beth. "Give us a minute?"
"Sure," Mark said. "I wanted to get a look at the Miss
Behavin' II before I headed out, anyway. Bee, you want to come with
me?"
The reporter shook her head, her eyes alight with that feminine
gleam of nosiness that reared its head whenever romance floated in the air.
"No, thanks. I need to duck into the ship store. When I was in there
earlier I noticed some rubber alligator toys my kiddos will love. Since I left
in the middle of the night without saying good-bye, I know better than to go
home without peace offerings in hand."
Luke waited until the pair had disappeared from sight before
moving to take a seat beside the woman who'd blown into his life like a
springtime tornado. Unable to resist the urge to touch her, he played his
fingers through her hair. The fiery strands flowed across his fingers like
silk. "Maddie, when you came looking for Terry, what sort of help did you
expect?"
"I don't know. I wanted her—well, him—to fix it. I don't know
how. Everything was such a mess, a panic. I hadn't thought it all through. It's
just... I really like it there. It's finally home. A real home. You can't
understand what it's like for me. How much it means."
"I know what home is, Maddie. I've not forgotten. But Brazos
Bend isn't my home anymore, and this isn't my job anymore. I can't do it
anymore. I'm toast. Terry..."
"I'm sorry about your partner." She smiled sadly and
added, "For both our sakes."
"You really thought he'd return to Brazos Bend with
you?"
She nodded. "I did. Branch said..." She stopped and
shook her head. "I'm still learning to be independent. It's not something
I was taught since birth. I guess I wanted a white knight riding to the rescue.
Wearing a skirt, of course."
"If Terry had a grave, he'd be turning in it after hearing
that one," Luke observed with a smile. "Not over the white knight
bit. That fit him to a tee. The skirt is something else entirely."
After a moment's pause, he added, "I'm different from Terry,
Red. I'm not your knight. I don't ride a white horse and armor makes me itch. I
won't go back to Brazos Bend."
"But—"
"Branch spotted an opportunity and tried to use it to his
advantage. He tried to manipulate us both. I can't let him do that to me.
There's too much water under our bridge."
"Too much male pride, you mean. Too little forgiveness."
"Maybe so."
Silence hung between them like a black cloud in the wake of that
concession. Luke didn't know what else to say to her, and yet, he wanted to say
something. He wanted to say that he wished he'd met her at another time, under
other circumstances. He wanted to tell her... hell... he didn't want to tell
her good-bye.
Hearing a crashing sound approaching from the direction of the
marina, Luke looked up to see Knucklehead bounding toward them, a mangled
athletic shoe in his mouth. He dropped the shoe at Luke's feet. Good dog. Good
distraction. "You looking to play fetch, boy?"
He threw the shoe and Knucklehead galloped after it, then brought
it back. They played the game twice more before Maddie pasted on another one of
those damned fake smiles and took a step toward the path. "Well. We
probably should go looking for the others. Your brother likely has a country to
go save, and Sara-Beth might need help carrying all her loot from the ship
store."
"Yeah. Yeah. In a minute." He took her by the arm to
stop her. "I want to say... I need to tell you... Ah, hell."
He raked his free hand through his hair, scowling in frustration.
"Goddammit. I wish you wouldn't stand there looking like Bambi's mother. I
have no reason to feel guilty here."
"No, you don't."
"I didn't tell the others about the rock-and-roll
stuff," he pointed out.
"I noticed and I do appreciate it, Luke." Maddie again
gave that plastic smile. "I finally have a home in Brazos Bend. A real
home. Thank you for helping me to keep it."
He waited to feel a sense of satisfaction, but instead came the
certainty that he
his brother and Sara-Beth. "Give us a minute?"
"Sure," Mark said. "I wanted to get a look at the Miss
Behavin' II before I headed out, anyway. Bee, you want to come with
me?"
The reporter shook her head, her eyes alight with that feminine
gleam of nosiness that reared its head whenever romance floated in the air.
"No, thanks. I need to duck into the ship store. When I was in there
earlier I noticed some rubber alligator toys my kiddos will love. Since I left
in the middle of the night without saying good-bye, I know better than to go
home without peace offerings in hand."
Luke waited until the pair had disappeared from sight before
moving to take a seat beside the woman who'd blown into his life like a
springtime tornado. Unable to resist the urge to touch her, he played his
fingers through her hair. The fiery strands flowed across his fingers like
silk. "Maddie, when you came looking for Terry, what sort of help did you
expect?"
"I don't know. I wanted her—well, him—to fix it. I don't know
how. Everything was such a mess, a panic. I hadn't thought it all through. It's
just... I really like it there. It's finally home. A real home. You can't
understand what it's like for me. How much it means."
"I know what home is, Maddie. I've not forgotten. But Brazos
Bend isn't my home anymore, and this isn't my job anymore. I can't do it
anymore. I'm toast. Terry..."
"I'm sorry about your partner." She smiled sadly and
added, "For both our sakes."
"You really thought he'd return to Brazos Bend with
you?"
She nodded. "I did. Branch said..." She stopped and
shook her head. "I'm still learning to be independent. It's not something
I was taught since birth. I guess I wanted a white knight riding to the rescue.
Wearing a skirt, of course."
"If Terry had a grave, he'd be turning in it after hearing
that one," Luke observed with a smile. "Not over the white knight
bit. That fit him to a tee. The skirt is something else entirely."
After a moment's pause, he added, "I'm different from Terry,
Red. I'm not your knight. I don't ride a white horse and armor makes me itch. I
won't go back to Brazos Bend."
"But—"
"Branch spotted an opportunity and tried to use it to his
advantage. He tried to manipulate us both. I can't let him do that to me.
There's too much water under our bridge."
"Too much male pride, you mean. Too little forgiveness."
"Maybe so."
Silence hung between them like a black cloud in the wake of that
concession. Luke didn't know what else to say to her, and yet, he wanted to say
something. He wanted to say that he wished he'd met her at another time, under
other circumstances. He wanted to tell her... hell... he didn't want to tell
her good-bye.
Hearing a crashing sound approaching from the direction of the
marina, Luke looked up to see Knucklehead bounding toward them, a mangled
athletic shoe in his mouth. He dropped the shoe at Luke's feet. Good dog. Good
distraction. "You looking to play fetch, boy?"
He threw the shoe and Knucklehead galloped after it, then brought
it back. They played the game twice more before Maddie pasted on another one of
those damned fake smiles and took a step toward the path. "Well. We
probably should go looking for the others. Your brother likely has a country to
go save, and Sara-Beth might need help carrying all her loot from the ship
store."
"Yeah. Yeah. In a minute." He took her by the arm to
stop her. "I want to say... I need to tell you... Ah, hell."
He raked his free hand through his hair, scowling in frustration.
"Goddammit. I wish you wouldn't stand there looking like Bambi's mother. I
have no reason to feel guilty here."
"No, you don't."
"I didn't tell the others about the rock-and-roll
stuff," he pointed out.
"I noticed and I do appreciate it, Luke." Maddie again
gave that plastic smile. "I finally have a home in Brazos Bend. A real
home. Thank you for helping me to keep it."
He waited to feel a sense of satisfaction, but instead came the
certainty that he
Similar Books
