Chapter 5
Lane stepped out of the shower and towel dried quickly before throwing on a clean pair of jeans and short-sleeved t-shirt.
Water dripped from his hair—he really did need to get a trim soon.
But that could wait. He had to get to the store and find a security system then figure out how the hell to install it.
At least he had a job to do, a task to keep his hands and mind busy. Sitting idly wasn’t a strong suit of his.
The blast of the doorbell had him rushing from the bathroom and down the stairs. He didn’t have time for whoever had stopped by. Probably some nosy neighbor with a casserole who wanted to know his plans for the house.
A problem for another day.
Yanking open the door, he prepared for a quick and painful encounter only to come face-to-face with the last person he expected to see standing on his porch.
“Duke?”
Duke Pierson swept his tan cowboy hat off his head and gave a mocking bow. “The one and only.”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Instead of answering, Duke hoisted a large duffle higher on his shoulder then brushed past Lane to enter the house. His long, low whistle echoed off the high ceiling. “Damn, check out these digs. Not too shabby, bud.”
Lane didn’t know if he was amused or annoyed, but either way it was clear Duke hadn’t tracked him down for a quick hello.
Sighing, he closed the door. Duke wasn’t exactly a friend.
More like a fellow competitor—a bull rider he’d met on the circuit years ago.
The two pushed each other to do better, compete harder.
Often trading positions at the top with each new ride.
If he was a chick, he’d call the guy a frenemy. Instead, he usually just called him an ass.
“How’d you know I was here?” he asked.
Duke tossed his bag on the ground and shrugged. “You mentioned your hometown a time or two over a beer. Figured if you can’t ride, you’d come home. Once I was in town, didn’t take much to track you down. Got to love small towns.”
Lane grunted his disagreement. “That still doesn’t explain why you wanted to find me in the first place.”
“Needed a break,” Duke said, lifting a candlestick from the entryway table and looking at the bottom before he set it back down. “If you’re not around for me to go up against, felt like a good time to take it.”
“And you decided to take it here?”
Duke scratched the whiskers along his jawline. “It’s as good a place as any. At least for a little while.”
“So you’re what? Staying?”
“This place is big enough. There’s got to be a spare room or two where I can crash.”
Lane’s mind struggled to keep up with what the hell was happening. So now he had an unexpected houseguest to deal with. “Fine. I don’t have time to deal with whatever shit you have going on. I was just about to head out. There’s a couple extra rooms on the third floor. Take whichever one you want.”
“Where you going?”
Struggling to keep his composure, Lane stuffed his feet in his cowboy boots he’d left by the door. “Gotta find a security system. I’ll be shocked if there are any in town, so chances are high I’ll have to drive longer than necessary just to grab one.”
“I’ll go with you. You can show off your town a bit. Tell me the best place to grab a drink after a long day’s work.”
“You planning on workin’ while you’re here?”
“Never know.” Duke retraced his steps back outside. Once on the porch, he glanced behind him. “You coming, or what? Thought you were in some big hurry.”
Not wanting to waste any more time, he grabbed his own Stetson from the hat rack and stomped outside. He had enough to deal with. Some jackass he wasn’t even sure he liked showing up for no reason wasn’t something he was equipped to handle.
Hell, even on a good day Duke was tough to stomach.
“We’re taking my truck,” he said and hopped into the driver’s side. By the time he started the engine, Duke was in the passenger seat with his seatbelt hooked.
“This is a nice place,” Duke said. “Wasn’t what I expected.”
Lane didn’t spare him a glance as he tore out of the driveway and took off toward town. “What’d you expect?”
“I don’t know. Double wide on wheels maybe. A beat-up little shack with a bunch of chickens running around the yard. Definitely not some grand house out of Architecture Digest. If I came from a place like that, I’d a never left home.”
Frustration tightened Lane’s grip on the steering wheel.
He’d been fed that same bullshit his whole life.
Even in a small town, not all secrets are exposed, and his father’s were kept under wraps his entire life.
Even if he’d had gold bars to wipe his ass, he’d still have left town as soon as he could.
“Trust me, I had no reason to stay.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a flash of a memory sucker punched him.
Celine with tears in her eyes, begging him to take her with him.
Asking him to choose her with her suitcase packed and eyes full of hope.
They’d been so young then—just out of high school.
He’d loved her with his entire being, but it hadn’t been enough.
Not enough to keep him there, and too much to take him with her and expose her to an unknown future away from the family she loved.
Because in the end, he’d understood they wanted different things out of life. He just wished he hadn’t had to break her heart in the process. Maybe then things would be different between them. At the very least, she wouldn’t hate him so much.
Muscle memory led him to the town square without him giving his directions one ounce of thought. Each business he passed brought with it another memory. Each park bench a picture of a time long ago when he’d been stuck in quicksand, struggling to breathe.
“The Dusty Armadillo?” Duke let out a hoot of laughter. “You’ve got to be shittin’ me.”
He glared at Duke before finding a parking spot on the road right outside the local hardware store. “Dude, you’re from Texas. I’m sure you’ve got your own share of weird shit hanging around.”
Duke snorted. “You don’t know the half of it.”
Something was off in Duke’s gravelly voice, but Lane didn’t have it in him to care right now.
If Duke wanted to take a mini vacation and tag along while he did errands, that was his choice.
But that didn’t mean Lane had to dig down to the root cause of this random decision.
He was a loner by choice, only one person ever able to break through his walls.
And he’d blown that relationship to shit.
“Williams Hardware,” Duke said. “Very quaint. I mean, hell, half the businesses downtown are shuttered up. I’m starting to understand why you left.”
Lane ignored the comment and stalked toward the entrance of the store. He might have a chip on his shoulder as far as this town was concerned, but he didn’t want to hear any disparaging remarks from an outsider.
The bell above the door chimed and announced him as he stepped into the stale air. Wood floors lined the aisles and a thin layer of dust settled on the half-stocked shelves.
A hacking cough drew Lane’s attention toward the counter at the front of the store. An old-fashioned cash register took up a larger chunk of the walnut counter. A glass case displayed antique tools that had been there since Lane was a kid.
And old man Williams sat on a backless stool behind the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. All his hair gone except a couple white strands clinging to the top of his scalp. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
Lane couldn’t hold back a smile as he approached the old man and shook his hand. “How ya doing, Mr. Williams?”
Mr. Williams pulled him across the counter and slapped a hand on his back, bringing him in for a quick half-hug. “I’m okay, just a little shell-shocked to see you. I’m sure you’re here because of your old man. Sorry about his passing.”
Lane dipped his chin but didn’t respond.
“Man might have been an asshole, but it’s still hard to lose family,” Mr. Williams continued.
Taken aback, Lane widened his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Come on, boy. You don’t think the folks round here knew what kind of man he was?
He grew up in Hillmore. I saw him grow from a bully of a boy to a bully of a man.
Just wished I could have done more to protect you and your sister when you were young.
Your mama was the only one able to put that man in his place, rest her soul. ”
The heat of Duke’s stare on the side of his face made Lane want to squirm. The last thing he needed was for a glaring light to broadcast his past to a guy he didn’t even consider a real friend.
“Appreciate the sentiments,” he said, steering the conversation away from his family. “But right now I’m here for something unrelated to my pops. You carry any security systems?”
Mr. Williams frowned. “Having issues at your house? I’m surprised you don’t already have cameras monitoring that place. Your dad was always a little paranoid.”
“It’s not for me.” He didn’t say more. News of what happened to Celine would be out soon enough. No need for him to spread the gossip any faster.
“Well, let’s see.” Mr. Williams scratched his jaw as he worked it back and forth. “I did get one of those fancy cameras that’s also a doorbell a few months ago but haven’t gotten any takers. Folks around here aren’t usually too concerned with locking things up tight.”
“Anyone else in town have anything like what I’m looking for?” He already knew the answer but might as well ask.
“Don’t know for sure but can’t think of anyone who would.”
Duke slapped a heavy hand on Lane’s shoulder. “Looks like we’re taking on a little road trip. Let’s go.”
Sighing, he offered Mr. Williams a quick wave then followed Duke out to this truck. He figured he’d have to drive out of town to get what he needed, he just wasn’t planning on having unwanted company.
Dropping Parker off with her mother was never easy, but today it was like ripping off a limb. Celine’s heart was heavy and her head was filled with every worst-case scenario as she made it to work just in time for her shift.
Tia stood behind the bar, wiping off something only she could see. Her long curly hair was braided over one shoulder, the neon lights above the bar making the dark red color even more magnificent. “Hey there,” she said. “How was your morning?”
Celine approached the bar with a tight smile. “Okay.”
Tia’s hand stilled on the rag she used to clean the worn wood. “What’s wrong?”
Celine debated how much to say. She didn’t really want to get into all the drama covering her like a heavy blanket but also knew her friend would hear about what happened sooner rather than later. Might as well get it out of the way. “Someone broke into my house last night and attacked me.”
“What?” The word came out in an ear-splitting screech. “Are you hurt? Is Parker all right? Should you be here? I can get your shift covered.” As she spoke, she hustled around the bar and threw her arms around Celine, pulling her in for a tight hug.
Celine melted against her friend. She’d yearned for comfort all night but hadn’t trusted herself to get any of it from Lane. Heck, she hadn’t even told her mom what happened for fear she’d turn it into some sob story to throw around town as soon as she left.
After giving herself a moment to soak up the support, she took a step back and wiped away the tears gathered at the corner of her eyes.
Now was time to spill even more tea. “Lane stopped over and scared off the attacker before he could do any real harm. Parker was asleep and unaware anything had happened.”
If Celine wasn’t so shaken, the pure shock on Tia’s face would have made her laugh out loud. She opened her mouth to explain further when the door burst open, blasting sunlight into the dimly lit restaurant.
“Celine! There you are. My God, are you all right?” Kevin, her ex-husband, rushed to her side. His blue eyes were wide with worry, his clean-shaven face the exact opposite of the man who’d dominated her thoughts the past year.
She braced herself as he threw his arms around her. She held her body rigid, his touch and his concern unwanted. She took a step back, putting distance between them. “I’m fine, Kevin.”
Not reading the room, he cupped her biceps in his hands and gave a gentle squeeze. “No way you’re fine. You were attacked in your home. Where are you staying tonight? You can’t be in that house alone until this guy is caught. You and Parker should stay with me until this whole mess blows over.”
Irritation infused steel in her spine. He’d tried everything he could think of in the past few months to convince her to take him back after he’d been caught lying and scheming. Of course he’d use this as another way to attempt to get into her good graces.
“That’s not necessary,” she said, stepping away from his grasp.
He huffed out a short laugh, casting a sidewise glance at Tia before refocusing on Celine. “You’re not safe. Let me help. I still love you.”
She held up a hand, unable to hear another word. “Enough. You know where I stand on this. We’re finished, and there’s no going back to how things used to be.” Another thought struck her, adding to her annoyance. “How did you find out?”
“Spencer came by to talk to me. Asked me for an alibi which, I have to admit, hurt like hell. But I understand everyone has to be looked at to make sure they find the person responsible for this.”
“I never thought it was you,” she said. “And I appreciate your concern. But this isn’t your problem to fix.”
Frowning, Kevin screwed his expression into one that made him look like the injured party—the same look that used to be successful in twisting her with guilt. But not anymore.
Tia looped an arm through Celine’s and pulled her close to her side. “It was sweet of you to stop by and see if our girl was all right, but unfortunately I need to put her to work.”
“Fine,” he said, blowing out a long breath. “Call me if you need me. I’m always here.”
Gratitude washed over her as she watched him leave. She leaned her head on Tia’s shoulder. Everything in her life might be upside right now, but she had good people in her corner to help keep her afloat. She just hoped things would get back to normal before she drowned.