Chapter 9
9
C arter
Biggest mistake of his life.
Carter berated himself as he threw the cups into the garbage can with more effort than was needed. He scowled down at the trash, unwilling to turn and make his way back to Bailey’s side. He was an idiot who had let a child get to him.
Criminy! He was supposed to keep his distance from everyone while he was here. Helping Bailey out with some cash wasn’t supposed to get him invited to hang out with her at the town’s lighting celebration. It would feel really good to kick this garbage can over and watch the contents fly all over the park.
Lucky for everyone here, he was pretty good at staying restrained.
Except when it came to Bailey, apparently .
That thought mocked him, putting him in his place. When he was around her, he lost all his inhibitions. That sort of thing had never happened to him before, not when it came to women. Was it possible that he’d grown soft so soon after coming home?
He stiffened. Coming home wasn’t the problem. It was Bailey. Ever since he’d met her, he hadn’t stolen any more money from his family—except that eleven dollars. Technically he’d given that money to someone in need—Bailey, to be specific.
Carter flexed his hands. While he wanted to blame her for the change he was going through, he couldn’t deny that she made him want to be… better. Not for her—because he knew that ship had sailed. She made him want to be a better person so he could be someone she was proud of. How did that even make sense?
Pressure built in his chest. The air felt like it was closing in around him, and a small voice in the back of his head asked him if he really had to leave. What if he figured out a way to stay in Copper Creek?
Not possible. He’d already done too much damage.
But… what if?
The question hung there, dangling like a piece of ripe fruit. All he had to do was reach out and grasp it. That future could be his for the taking.
He took a deep breath and turned around. Bailey was still near the line of children. She’d moved closer to the makeshift North Pole. It was a tent with several heaters hooked up to make it nice and toasty. There was one side open while three walls and a roof framed it in. It was the perfect photo opportunity for those parents who wanted to capture the moment.
Before returning to Bailey’s side, Carter let his focus sweep through the current scene. Copper Creek really could be magical when this time of year rolled around. The sights, sounds, and smells brought the whole place to life, making people believe in the Christmas spirit again. No one could be a Scrooge when they lived in Copper Creek.
Not even Carter.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention for a reason he couldn’t explain. His eyes darted in that direction only to find a figure lurking in the shadow of a large tree that hadn’t been covered in strings of Christmas lights.
The man was familiar. There was something about his face that tickled a memory in the back of Carter’s mind. Where had he seen that man before? He looked out of place here among all the country folk. That was it. The clothes he wore and the way he carried himself, it screamed that he wasn’t a local. He was from the city.
That was when Carter finally placed him. The man wasn’t looking in Carter’s direction, which offered Carter more time to study him. He was one of Dirk’s cronies. How he’d managed to track Carter down to this town was beyond Carter’s ken, but he had. Not only that, but he was watching something intently. The way his eyes glinted as if he’d found his next prey sent Carter’s heart into a spiral.
Slowly, Carter turned in search of what the man was watching. His stomach dropped, churning and flailing when he realized exactly what was so interesting.
Bailey .
Carter’s hands balled into fists, and he launched toward the man, who didn’t notice him until he was nearly in front of him. Carter kept his voice low, his stance poised, ready for a fight. “You don’t belong here,” he growled.
The man didn’t flinch. If anything, he seemed to relax further. His shoulder leaned into the tree trunk, and he plucked a cigarette from his coat pocket. His eyes landed briefly on Carter before he lit the cigarette and puffed out several balls of smoke. “Neither do you,” he said in a low voice like gravel.
Children’s laughter faded as Carter’s ears filled with a roaring sound. His jaw tightened and he took a step toward the stranger. “Whatever you think you’re going to?—”
He nodded once in Bailey’s direction. “Pretty girl you got there. The kid’s cute, too. Looks like you’ve already made quite a life for yourself.”
Carter bristled. “You leave them out of this,” he hissed. “If you even?—”
The man drew a long pull from his cigarette, then blew it out in a stream of smoke before he gave Carter a smug smile. “The deadline for you to pay up is coming fast—January, if I’m remembering correctly. When you left town, the boss was worried we might not be able to find you. I was curious why you didn’t stick around. Suppose I have my answer.” He took one final pull from his smoke, then flicked it into the air. It landed in the icy snow at his feet, and he twisted the toe of his shoe to smother it. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell the boss about them—not unless you do something to force my hand.” He winked and showed a smile of yellow-stained teeth. “It would be a shame for anything to happen to them?—”
Carter saw red in that moment. He couldn’t explain what happened exactly. One second he was standing in front of the guy, and the next he had the guy pinned to the ground and was throwing punches like his life depended on it.
Screams erupted nearby. People hollered and called for someone to get the sheriff. But none of that mattered. The man had threatened Bailey’s safety. Not only Bailey but also her daughter. Carter wasn’t going to stand for that.
The man got in a few punches of his own. At one point Carter was on his back. Stars danced in front of his eyes when the guy made contact with his nose. They scuffled with one another until they were yanked apart. Someone strong held Carter back by his arms while the sheriff had the other guy. As hard as Carter lunged at the stranger, the guy behind him didn’t lose his grip.
In the back of Carter’s mind, he vaguely realized that Bailey had seen the whole thing. He didn’t care. The guy in front of him had threatened her safety, and he continued to throw mocking smiles in Carter’s direction.
In less than ten minutes, they were both booked and shoved into county lockup.
Carter paced the cell like a caged animal. Who was he kidding? He was a caged animal. They should have put him in the same cell as the other guy. Then maybe Carter could put an end to the risks he’d brought into Bailey’s life.
It took only an hour for the man in the next cell to get sprung. Apparently, Dirk’s connections could even reach a small town like Copper Creek. When he was no longer leering at Carter from the other side of his own set of bars, Carter collapsed on the metal bench that hung attached to the wall. He placed his head in his hands.
This was why he was an idiot. He’d done so much more damage simply by being in her proximity. If that guy’s threat was legitimate, then Bailey was in a great deal more danger than she deserved to be. Carter wanted to break in that moment. He wanted to release all the tension and fears he had building up in his body.
Footsteps echoed across the stone floor, and he glanced up to see Sheriff Donahue. Boy, he was getting old. The man stared hard at him, arms folded. “Looks like you couldn’t stay out of trouble. Huh, kid?”
“I’m not a kid,” Carter snapped.
“No, you’re not. So why did you act like one back there?”
Carter glowered at the sheriff. He’d had a handful of run-ins with him when he was a teen, but he’d grown out of those particular delinquencies. He could tell the sheriff that the man he’d just released had made a threat against someone in this community, but he didn’t trust that the man would act on it. Better for Carter to handle this on his own.
“So, are you going to tell me why you picked a fight with a tourist?”
Carter snorted. That guy was the furthest thing from a tourist there was. He shouldn’t have even been here. When he didn’t give any response other than that, the sheriff continued.
“I’ve called your family and left a few messages. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of them are going to make it out tonight.”
Carter’s whole body went stiff. He knew that was a lie. Wade would have come to get him if he’d believed that Carter had been booked for something he didn’t do. At this rate, his oldest brother might even be leaving him here because he wanted to teach him a lesson.
Caleb was the only other member of his family who might bail him out, but he was gone. Most of the others were hesitant to give him the benefit of the doubt—at least that was how it felt.
“If no one comes by noon tomorrow, you’ll get released and be charged a fine.”
He shot to his feet. “A fine?” That wasn’t possible. The other guy would have never filed charges against him. He was a criminal, for heaven’s sake.
“Disorderly Conduct,” Sheriff Donahue said simply. He moved closer. “That was a child’s event. What did you think would happen when you started a brawl in the middle of the first Christmas celebration of the year?”
Carter slowly lowered himself to his seat. He kept hard eyes trained on the older man until he left the room. Carter had slept in worse places.
The following morning, they released him, and the second he stepped outside into the bright sunlight, he was met by a disapproving Caleb. His twin had his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against his truck out in front of the sheriff’s station.
“Imagine my surprise when I get a call in the middle of the night telling me that my brother was arrested for disorderly conduct. Do you have any idea what you did?”
Carter rolled his eyes. “Sorry I messed up your little vacay with Emma. I’m sure she has more than enough money to take you on another one.” He reached for the truck door. “My truck’s parked over by the coffee shop?—”
Caleb placed his hand on the door and shut it resolutely, blocking Carter’s ability to get inside. His gaze was lethal. “You interrupted my honeymoon.”
For a moment, Carter couldn’t move. His brother had gone off and gotten married without telling anyone—not even his twin. “You’re… married ?” He said the word thickly, unable to feel his tongue.
“Yeah. And we hadn’t planned on coming back until tomorrow. I’d thought that I was in the clear. How much trouble could my twin get in during a forty-eight-hour span of time? Apparently more than I could have ever anticipated.” His voice was tainted with a brand of disappointment that Carter had only ever heard once from his brother. It had been when he’d stolen the money and run away. For the next several months, that voice had haunted him, shredded him into pieces. It had taken a lot to finally let it go.
“Congratulations,” Carter muttered derisively. “I hope you’re very happy together.” With that, Carter stormed away. There was only one thing he knew for certain. He couldn’t go home—not when his own family wouldn’t accept him.