A Promise Of Home (A Lake Howling Novel Book 1) (22 page)

“Who’d you kiss?”

“Annabelle.”

“Hussy.”

“What can I say? Even then, I had it.”

“And there’s that ego I remember.”

“Over there, I got drunk for the first time and my father tried to look angry in front of the townsfolk when I puked up all over the place. But when we got in the car, he laughed the entire journey home.”

“I like your father.” Branna looked to the stage at the top of the main street where Jake was pointing. The band was playing country music and a few people were dancing.

“Me too.”

They fell silent as they contemplated their fathers, and Branna felt that pain she always did with the memory of hers.

“You want some fudge?” He pulled her towards another tent. “Gussie Neeps makes the best fudge in town.”

“That’s an unusual name.”

“Gussie or Neeps?”

“Both,” Branna tried to dig her heels in as he dragged her, but he just tugged harder.

“Augustus Neeperman is a legend around here; she can trace her family back to the beginning of Howling, but if you don’t have a spare hour or two, don’t go there.”

“Your teeth will fall out if you eat too much of that stuff.” Branna nodded towards the confectionary laden table they were approaching.

“Will you still like me then?”

“Maybe, although, I’d hate to have to eat soft food all the time.”

“And I couldn’t use my teeth all over your body and that would just be a downright shame,” Jake said the words into her ear.

Branna shivered. She’d never thought of herself as a sexual person, but it seemed she was. Jake had ripped away any inhibitions she may have been harboring and now he just had to give her one of his steamy glances and she was mush. A few little words and her body ignited.

“I like to tug on your—”

“Stop!”

His laugh was dirty, but he shut up.

They didn’t talk about her father or Jake leaving the medical profession; she knew that would come, but for now they were just getting to know each other, and Branna could feel herself changing. Some of her hard edges were softening too; she was beginning to believe that maybe she was loveable enough to begin a relationship with this man. God knew she was so deep in like with him now, she wasn’t sure she could pull back.

“Thanks, Gussie.” Jake paid the large woman with no front teeth for the fudge, then placed a piece in her mouth, then his. He hummed his appreciation before swallowing.

“You didn’t answer my question, Branna O’Donnell, which leads me to believe that you won’t still like me if I lose all my teeth from eating this fudge, which in turn leads me to believe you’re shallow.” After these words, he ate another piece, making the same noise in the back of his throat.

“I’ll probably toss you over for Ethan, Buster, or Newman, depending on which one has all theirs.”

His smile was wide and showed off his sparkling white collection, all set off in a handsome tanned face. He’d dressed up tonight, his words, in jeans that had worn patches in all the right place and fitted him perfectly. His shirt was black and long sleeved, with buttons up the front, and he’d rolled the sleeves up so she could see his forearms. The man was a walking fantasy.

“What?”

“What?” She questioned him right back.

“You sighed.”

“You’ve probably heard this a million times, but in all honesty, I’m not sure I can cope with your handsomeness.”

“Handsomeness?”

Branna waved to Belle, who was debating something with Newman beside a stall, before she looked back at Jake. Surprisingly, he was embarrassed, which was a revelation to her. She’d never seen him flustered before.

“You know you’re handsome, right?”

“Cut it out.” Taking her hand, he tried to start them moving again, but she stopped in front of him.

“My God, you’re embarrassed and there I was thinking nothing had the power to do that to you.” Branna hooted with laughter. “You own a mirror, right?”

He looked uncomfortable; his eyes checking to make sure no one could hear their conversation.

“Most women have a silly smile on their faces whenever they see you, McBride. It’s lucky I’m not the jealous kind, because my insides would be twisted by now.”

“Will you quit it!”

Oh, this was just too much fun. He was really uncomfortable now, his eyes looking everywhere but at her.

“And don’t get me started on your body.” Branna hummed her appreciation. I overheard that Ellie Putt, saying you should pose nude because it was just a downright sin to cover all that delicious flesh up.”

“You having fun?”

“Totally.” Branna gave him a big smile, which made him growl. “The fact that you don’t know what a dreamboat you are is cute.”

“Totally,” he mimicked, and then wrapped a hand around her neck. “So, you think I’m a dreamboat?”

“Ellie thinks you are,” Branna corrected.

“And what about you, Rosebud, do you know how hot you are?”

“Don’t try and change the subject.”

“Fair’s fair. I have to walk around with the hottest woman in Howling, watch all the men ogling her, and pretend it doesn’t bother me, and don’t get me started on your body.”

He pulled her closer so no one could see the hand that cupped her breast, which was devastatingly accurate, or the thumb he rubbed over her hard nipple that made her knees go weak.

“I yield.”

His breath was uneven as he planted a smacking kiss on her lips, before he pushed a piece of fudge in there.

“Just so you know, I only have to see you to want you. One touch and I’m so hard it hurts, and—”

“Jake, we are in the middle of the entire town of Howling,” Branna whispered.

“All the more reason to make you understand what you do to me. In fact, I’m thinking this whole Carnival thing is overrated and we should just head home.”

“Stop that,” Branna laughed, as he turned to leave. “We can’t leave; we’ve only just arrived.”

“You better make it up to me later then,” he said, giving her a sexy smile that made her heart skip a beat.

“Branna, Delray and Macy are just ahead of us, you want to head in the other direction?”

She looked up and saw Macy, who, as usual, looked beautiful and immaculate. But this time, Branna looked closer, after what she’d seen that day in the drugstore, and really saw the look in the woman’s eyes.

“Damn,” she muttered.

“What?”

“I saw Macy in the drugstore one day; she didn’t know I was there because I was hiding behind one of the displays.”

“Why were you hiding behind the displays?”

“Never mind that, it’s what I saw when I was hiding that matters,” Branna added. “Macy walked around the display, so no one could see her, then put her head in her hands and sobbed. Honestly, Jake, she looked broken, and I could feel her despair from where I stood.”

“Macy?” Jake looked at the couple who were walking toward them. “That Macy?”

“I overheard Mr. Pike saying she had a sore stomach, but to me it seemed to be much more than that, and that’s silly, right? I mean, how could I know that with one look?”

“It’s called instinct, Rosebud.”

“It made my eyes itch to see her, Jake, which has to tell you how bad it was, because she’s not one of my favorite people, as you know.”

“No secret there.”

“But now, I feel sorry for her, which is a real piss off, because I hate when that happens, as I’ll have to be nice to her.”

“You? The girl who doesn’t collect people? The emotional void, the—”

“I get the idea, McBride, you don’t need to belabor the point.”

He cupped the back of her neck and gave a gentle squeeze before he took her hand again, and they walked to where Brian Delray was talking loudly to a group of people.

“Hey, Macy.”

“Jake, Branna,” her words were cold.

The woman was dressed as if she’d just walked down Hollywood Boulevard. Hair perfect, face coated in a fine layer of makeup, clothes fitted to show off her body, and tottering on six-inch heels.

Macy’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, but her husband’s did. He pumped Jake’s hand and grinned at her.

“I-I’m sorry to hear about your house.” Macy said the words slowly, almost as if she was thinking about each one as she said it.

“Thanks. You still need help with the reunion?”

Surprise made those long fake lashes rise.

“Yes.”

“Well, here’s my card; you just email me with what you need done, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Fingers tipped with long pink nails took the rectangle of white.

“There you go, honey, told you it would all work out fine.” Brian Delray wrapped a hand around his wife’s waist and pulled her close. To Branna’s eye, Macy looked as stiff as a board, and not too happy about the embrace. “She’s working so hard on the reunion that she’s not sleeping. Last night, I found her pacing the hallway muttering about banners.”

Macy didn’t laugh with her husband; instead, she had a blank expression on her face.

“You need me for anything, Macy, you just let me know.” As someone who’d been desperately unhappy in her life, she recognized it in another person, and Macy Reynolds-Delray was unhappy.

“Thank you, Branna, I’ll let you know.”

“Same goes for me, Macy, minus the emcee duties.”

“Thank you, Jake.”

“Well, hell, if they’re volunteering, I guess I should, Macy. You got any jobs you want me to do for the reunion?” Buster came to stand on Branna’s left, his mouth full of the same fudge that Jake was just about to put in his.

“Th-thanks, Buster, I’ll let you know.”

Jake studied Mrs. Reynolds-Delray as she spoke to Buster. Branna was right, something was off with her. He’d never looked at her long enough to see the emptiness in her eyes or the blank expression on her face. She was just always smiling her silly smile and covered in makeup. Always perfect, her hair styled, clothes designer.

“I told you they’d rally, Macy. And thanks so much, everyone, for offering to help. I’m doing the best I can, but business is busy right now, so I can’t do much.”

Brian Delray was relaxed, unlike his wife. He smiled his nice guy smile, the same one he’d always used since the day he moved into Howling and wooed Macy. He’d then stepped into her father’s shoes and into the people’s hearts, and taken over the Reynolds Real Estate business. Jake hadn’t had a lot to do with the man, just in passing, but he’d always figured he and Macy were happy, not that he’d given the matter much thought. They’d not had a family yet, but there was still plenty of time for that, although now that he thought about it, that was strange too. Macy had told anyone who’d listen when she’d first married Brian that they were going to settle down and raise kids. Maybe they couldn’t have them?

“Macy and I need to catch up with a few people, so see you all later,” Brian said.

Jake lifted a hand to the Reynolds-Delrays; Macy didn’t return the gesture, just let her husband lead her away.

“Something’s not right there, Jake.” Branna was still watching them walk away as she spoke. Worry drew a line down her forehead.

“Think you could be onto something, Rosebud.”

“What?”

“Macy, Buster, something’s off with her.”

His friend was looking at the backs of Macy and Brian, his forehead also now creased.

“Off how?”

“She’s unhappy, I noticed it a few days ago, and looks…frozen.”

Buster looked at Branna when she finished talking. “What the hell does that mean?”

Jake stayed silent as she tried to enlighten Buster as to her concerns about Macy. The hand he didn’t hold waved about as she spoke. He liked anchoring her to him, liked that she wanted it too. Her hair hung in a long plait that he wanted to wrap around his hand to draw her in for a kiss, then he’d remove that short scrap of material she called a dress from her lovely body. The color of her eyes, it hung in a simple straight line down her curves and there was nothing simple or straight about how it looked on her. It clung to the soft swell of her breasts, and stopped high on her thighs, which left those long shapely legs free for him to lust after. She was understated in what she wore, not much makeup that he could see or jewelry, just a small gold bangle and necklace, and she was the sexiest woman he’d ever known.

She’d tied him in so many knots, he’d forgotten where he began and ended. His dark places were getting lighter and suddenly, he wanted to get out of bed in the morning. Not strictly speaking, true, as he wanted to stay in there with her, but in general life had suddenly become worth living.

“It’s been brought to my attention that the members of our award-winning high school band of 2004 are all here in Howling tonight.”

Branna spun to look at the stage, where Mr. Hope now stood at the microphone.

“Is th-hat Mr. Hope?”

Jake felt Branna’s fingers grip his tightly as she spoke.

“Yup, since he retired from teaching, he’s become the unofficial emcee in Howling,” Buster said. Unlike Jake, he hadn’t made the connection to Branna and the band of 2004.

“Don’t be shy now, you people,” Mr. Hope’s voice continued to boom into the microphone. Jake eased Branna’s nails out of his flesh as they dug in. “I taught each and every one of you, in class and in band practice,” Mr. Hope added. “I know how good you are.”

“Hide me.” Branna’s voice was desperate.

“What’s the problem here, Branna?” Buster asked.

“She was in that band,” Jake replied.

“Well, shit.”

He and Buster looked around for the nearest escape route.

“Anybody see our band members?” Mr. Hope yelled so loudly that Jake winced. “Annabelle Smith and Branna O’Donnell, I know you’re out there.”

“I’m going kill Mr. Hope. I don’t care if he gave me an A in music.” Annabelle appeared before them. Unlike Branna who was literally shocked into a statue, she was fuming. “Springing this kind of shit when neither of us have touched an instrument or played together for years. This could be a disaster. Still, at least that would ensure it never happened again.”

“I’m not going up there.” Branna found her voice.

“Where you planning to run to, O’Donnell? Your path is blocked and these people can be mean when they don’t get what they want.”