Chapter 17 Brian
SEVENTEEN
brIAN
“Iappreciate your call,” I said into my phone as Caitlin walked into the kitchen.
I’d made waffles and bacon again for us to luxuriate in the freedom to take the morning slow.
The rodeo was over, and the weekend had brought more drama and excitement than I’d anticipated.
The amount of money raised to fund the town’s new community center was more than enough to not only cover the primary list, but also many of the “wish list” items, including a small computer lab, a commercial level kitchen to accommodate parties and events, and an outdoor kitchen area with a firepit.
The biggest surprise was Cal’s proposal to Amy right in the stands after his last event.
I considered it fortunate that I’d been close by and had witnessed the happy scene. I’d known they’d made up after Jake and I had a talk with him about his intentions toward Amy, but it was still a surprise that they’d gone from their first meeting to being engaged in a month.
They seemed so happy together.
In fact, Cal had plans to start a rodeo school for kids.
They’d bought the old Harkins property not too far from the ranch.
Well, Amy had bought the old farmhouse, stating it was time for her and Henry to have their own place.
Unbeknownst to her, Cal had purchased the barn and all the acres in a separate agreement for his rodeo school.
It was like the O. Henry story, “The Gift of the Magi,” but in this one, everyone got what they wanted.
It also meant I’d finally have the opportunity to really get to know my half-brother without all the rodeo frenzy.
“Looks delicious,” Caitlin said when I set my phone down on the counter. “Are some of those waffles for me?”
“Sure are. I made plenty.” I’d gotten used to her rushing past me in the morning on her way out the door, but I’d hoped that this morning, because she had her first full day off since coming to town, that she’d take time to sit down and eat breakfast for once.
“Thanks,” she said, taking a seat and reaching for a waffle and several slices of bacon. “It’s nice to eat breakfast for a change instead of just serving it.”
“Always a bonus.” I joined her and refilled my coffee cup.
“That was my contact at the Austin PD on the phone. The original officer who refused to take your report has been formally reprimanded. She couldn’t say much about it, but evidently, this wasn’t the first time he brushed off a legitimate report.
Internal Affairs may be looking into him. ”
Her eyes widened as she looked at me. “That’s amazing. Well, not that he’s done it before but that he’s been caught and is facing consequences. Thank you.”
I wanted to preen at her thanks, but all I did was make a few phone calls. “There’s also news on your ex.”
“They caught him?” She looked up excitedly.
“Not yet, but your complaint against him isn’t the only one. His former boss filed a police report against him for stealing from the business. They’re brothers, right?”
“Yeah. Wow. I’m shocked. Kieran always seemed so tolerant of his little brother.
He looked the other way every time money was missing from the till.
He was still defending Seamus the last time I talked to him, when I went to try to get my job back.
In fact, I’m pretty sure Kieran is the reason I wasn’t able to find another job in Austin.
” She sliced off a piece of waffle. “Those are serious charges, aren’t they? ”
“It was a lot of money, which now has the DA’s attention and pushed it up to third-degree felony in Texas. If he’s found guilty, he could get up to ten years in prison and a hefty fine.”
“Kieran’s a decent enough guy, and I liked working in his tattoo shop, but he always fiercely defended his brother whenever there was a client complaint against him or when stock would go missing.
One time, two brand new tattoo guns disappeared before they were taken out of the boxes.
Seamus blamed it on one of the new guys, who was instantly fired even though everyone knew he didn’t do it.
I thought Kieran would always back Seamus to the hilt. ”
“Not anymore,” I said, enjoying the insight I was getting into Caitlin’s experiences in Austin.
“It seems he finally went too far. From what my contact in Austin said, Seamus opened several accounts in his brother’s name and used the tattoo shop as collateral on some loans.
Your old boss found out when debt collectors showed up and shut him down. ”
“Oh shit!” Caitlin clapped her hand over her mouth. “I never thought he’d do something like that to his brother. That’s horrible. Kieran was a jerk to me at the end, but I’d never wish that on anyone—not even my worst enemy.”
“I passed along the information about Seamus being in Tampa. I think it’s just a matter of time before you get your money back from the bank or Seamus.”
“God, that would be so great.” Suddenly, she hopped up and threw her arms around my neck. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me, especially when you were so busy with the rodeo. You took the time even when it made your life more difficult.” She kissed my cheek before going back to her chair.
“It was no big deal.” I was too surprised at the sudden burst of affection she showed me to react. We’d been so careful not to cross any lines. “I just placed a call or two. Austin PD is doing the work.”
“Shut up and accept my thanks,” she said, still smiling. “For once, Brian, don’t be modest.”
I picked up my coffee cup again and tried to right myself. She’d thrown me off kilter, and I was struggling to find the balance between us again.
“I think we should do something fun today,” she suggested.
“The rodeo is over, and there’s a good chance I’ll get my money back.
That’s two reasons to celebrate. We should go to the lake.
Remember how we used to swim there? I haven’t been in so long.
” She glanced out the window at the sunshine.
“It’s a beautiful day. What do you think? ”
“I was headed to work.” Technically, I didn’t have to go. I’d worked straight through for the weeks leading up to the rodeo, and there was nothing officially on my schedule today. Still, there were tasks to complete, paperwork to finish up, training to do. It never ended.
“Brian Thorne, you need to take a day off every once in a while.” She sighed, but managed a smile as she added, “I understand. You’ve got responsibilities. It’s okay.” Her expression said it wasn’t. She was disappointed, and I hated that.
“I told you that I wouldn’t have time to hang out with you just because you’re living here.” I’d established those ground rules the day she’d moved in. I’d been firm about that, while hiding the reluctance I’d felt.
“I get it. No pressure,” she said. “You’re a busy man. I didn’t mean to get all silly and needy on you.” She focused on her plate again, but I saw her cheeks turn pink.
“You weren’t,” I said, feeling like an ass.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to spend time with her.
A day with her sounded like the best idea I’d heard in a long time.
No one would fault me for taking time off, not after the hours I’d put in recently.
I could trust Sofia to handle anything that happened, and I’d have my phone with me if they needed me to come in.
“If you give me a few minutes to make some calls, I can take the day off. I’d like to go to the lake with you. ”
“Are you sure?” Her brown eyes and the smile she gave me weren’t tinged with their usual sadness. When I nodded, the smile grew even brighter. “Let me go throw some things in a bag, and then I’m going to pack a picnic for us.” She jumped up and I heard her feet on the stairs and overhead.
As I cleared away the breakfast dishes, I began to imagine a life in which I had someone worth taking off time for.
Someone who didn’t see me as just the sheriff or as a member of the Thorne family.
Caitlin seemed to want to be with me because she liked me for me.
It was novel, and I couldn’t quite get used to it.
An hour later, we were on our way to the lake located about ten miles outside of town. I’d swung past it while on patrol often enough, but I hadn’t been there to swim or have fun since high school. And why not? I wondered, as I parked. When did I stop letting myself have fun?
I got out of my truck and checked my messages out of habit. No bars. I walked twenty feet along the road and checked again. Nothing. Another twenty feet. “There’s no reception out here,” I announced.
“Isn’t that wonderful?” she said. She had a picnic blanket folded over her arm.
“Not for me. What if there’s a problem and my deputies need to get ahold of me?”
“You can’t possibly be on call every minute of every day,” she said.
Technically, no—my other officers were supposed to handle anything that came up today. But from my perspective, being a sheriff meant that I was always on call. Wasn’t that what I owed to my town? “I’m just never out of contact.”
“The rodeo is over. It’s a sleepy weekday. What could anyone possibly need from you? Besides, Sofia will handle it if something comes up. You said so yourself.” She walked closer to me, a smile on her face. “And we’re here to have fun and not worry. Can we do that? Please?”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing some of the tension to ease from my shoulders.
When was the last time I let myself really relax?
“Okay, you win. Pick a spot.” I gestured to the empty area along the lakeshore.
Caitlin was right. Sofia was in charge and I trusted her, which meant that I could enjoy the afternoon without worry. Mostly.
“Let me see.” She studied the landscape.
“I like a little shade, but not too much.” She walked back and forth for a few minutes before selecting a spot that would have increasing shade in the afternoon as the day grew hotter.
“This should be perfect.” She spread the blanket on the ground and plopped down on it.
I placed the cooler she’d packed on the edge of the blanket and joined her. We lay in the sun, listening to the birds in the trees and watching them fly low across the lake hunting for fish. Caitlin was quiet for so long that I thought she’d fallen asleep before she spoke.
“When I was in college,” she said, her voice soft, “I could never imagine myself coming back to Poplar Springs, let alone being happy about it, even if the stay was just temporary.”
What was this? Was she saying that she was happy to be in the place I thought of as home? I sat up and looked at her, trying to read her mood.
“It’s funny how life turns out, isn’t it?” She shot me a grin. “Ah, heck, back then even the idea of coming back to town for your mother’s birthday party sent me into a panic. I felt like I’d only just escaped, and if I came back, I’d never be able to leave again.”
Huh? I blinked, trying to wrap my head around her meaning. I’d assumed… “I thought you wouldn’t come with me because you didn’t want anyone to think you were in a serious relationship with me.”
She pushed off the ground and turned toward me. “What? No, it was never about you—or about us. That wasn’t my reason. Wait, you thought we were serious? But…”
“But what?” I asked.
“But you ended things,” she said softly.
“I was head over heels for you, which was scary since I was so young. But I’d hoped we were building something special.
Right up until you said we should end things because Ethan was coming to visit on leave.
You chose Ethan’s friendship over something with me, and I felt so foolish because I’d fallen a little in love with you. ”
Her smile turned wry as if it were a joke of some kind.
“One time when I’d spent the night at your apartment and had an early class, I almost left you a note saying that I loved you.
I chickened out and left you a drawing of a yellow flower instead.
You probably don’t remember that. It was such a juvenile thing to do. ”
I stared at her, remembering so clearly finding the picture propped up on the nightstand.
I’d seen it as a sign of her affection for me but had concluded not long afterward that I’d been wrong.
She hadn’t wanted to come home for my mother’s birthday, and she hadn’t protested when I’d started dialing back our time together.
So I’d ended things—and she’d let me go without a peep of protest. I’d seen that as confirmation that she didn’t want to be with me. What if that wasn’t true at all?
“You loved me?” I asked, unable to restrain the words.
“I…” Her smile disappeared in a flash.
“Because I had no idea about that,” I said before she could respond, and then I kept going, unable to stop the words from pouring out.
“I thought you weren’t as interested in me as I was in you.
When you wouldn’t go to the birthday party, I took that as a sign that I should back off and not ask you for something you weren’t willing to give.
I knew that I wanted more with you, but I wasn’t going to get it.
Especially with your insistence that Poplar Springs was a part of your past when it was my present and future.
That’s why I chose Ethan’s friendship. I didn’t think you had feelings for me in any serious way, and I couldn’t see a way forward.
” I stared at her, realizing that I’d made one of the biggest mistakes of my life at the age of twenty.
I’d misunderstood our relationship, and I let her slip away from me.
Her face had grown paler with every word I said, and I had no idea where to go from there. Suddenly, she jumped up and stripped off her shorts and tank top to reveal a bikini.
“I’m going for a swim,” she announced and dashed away from me toward the lake.
Hell, no. She wasn’t going to tip my world on end and then make a run for it. I pulled off my T-shirt and jeans so I could follow her into the water.