Taming Johnny by Kaylie Newell Page A

to shield her eyes to look up at him.
    “I don’t know that we’re dating, exactly.”
    Jake took a sip of beer and rocked back on his heels. “Ah.”
    “No! It’s not like that.” Bologna. Isn’t it?
    “It’s okay. Believe me, I don’t judge. Especially where my cousin is concerned.”
    Emma looked across the pool which was reflecting the late afternoon sun in hundreds of brilliant sparkles. The patio was full of talking, laughing people. It was the biggest family barbeque that she’d ever been to, and everyone she’d met so far had been friendly and welcoming. Johnny stood about twenty feet away. Even out of all those people, she hadn’t had trouble finding him immediately. The curve of his muscled shoulders, the way his head was cocked to the side, seemed so familiar.
    A little embarrassed, she turned back to Jake and smiled into the rim of her wine glass. “I guess I’m not sure what to call it,” she said. “It’s not really a conventional type of relationship. Maybe it never will be.”
    “I see.” Jake had one hand in his shorts pocket, the other clutching the long neck of his beer, practically dwarfing it. Despite his size, he gave off a sweet and gentle vibe. “Well, I can tell you one thing,” he said. “I’ve never seen him like this with anyone before. Johnny…doesn’t get close easily.”
    Emma felt her cheeks warm, pleased, but scolding herself for it. “I can see that about him. But as far as he and I go, I don’t really know that you could call us close.”
    “Oh?”
    “He doesn’t want to open up to me. About anything.”
    “That’s Johnny.”
    Emma had no idea why she felt the need to go on. To divulge how she was feeling to a complete stranger. Maybe it was because Jake was so nice. And maybe it was because he knew Johnny, really knew him, and she didn’t.
    “I like him,” she said. “A lot. But he’s so mercurial. Sometimes he starts to show a sweet side, and then others, he just shuts down completely. I never know if it’s something I’ve done.”
    Jake sighed. He set his beer down and touched Emma’s elbow. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
    Together, they zigzagged through the little pods of people and into the cool, air-conditioned living room of the house. Jake closed the sliding glass door behind them before a fat white cat could make a dash for it. He sat on his haunches and looked up indignantly.
    “Nope, Napoleon.” Jake grinned over his shoulder. “He likes hamburgers. This way.”
    Emma bent to give the cat a quick scratch before following Jake into a study at the end of the hallway.
    “There,” he said, pointing to a few pictures hanging in the far corner. “Take a look.”
    In a silver frame on the wall was a picture of Johnny as a boy. He couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve. Beside him was a laughing young woman, not much bigger than he was. She had both arms wrapped around him, looking like she was leaning in for a kiss. He was laughing too, and leaning away. She wore a sheer, pink scarf wrapped around her bare head. He looked just like her.
    “She died when he was fourteen,” Jake said, his voice heavy. “Leukemia.”
    The word sounded ugly and twisted, and Emma’s heart broke in half for the little boy in the picture.
    “Johnny’s dad left when he was three, so it was just him and his mom. They were really close. She went in and out of remission and got sick for the last time when he was a freshman in high school. He changed after that.”
    Emma nodded slowly, unable to look at Jake.
    “He went through the rest of school withdrawn and angry. Enlisted in the Army right after graduation, even though we had all planned on going to the same college. He could have gotten a full-ride football scholarship, but we couldn’t talk him out of it. Maybe it was the best thing for him. Maybe it wasn’t.”
    Emma did turn then, sensing there was much more to the story. “Why is that?”
    “Johnny was a great soldier. A