Busted (11 page)

She didn’t want to tell her brother it was too late to save
her heart.

Cole cursed when he saw Jake’s truck pull into his driveway
the next morning. With a throbbing headache and persistent ache in his chest
that had only worsened when Charlene refused to take his calls, he was not in
the mood to deal with her overprotective brother today.

Without waiting for Jake to knock, Cole pushed the back door
open. Might as well get this over with. He knew his friend wouldn’t leave until
he’d had his say. “What’re you doin’ here so early on a Saturday mornin’? As if
I didn’t know.”

“I just saw your mama and Cassidy in town. I thought this
might be a good time for us to talk.”

Cole knew there would never be a good time for this
conversation. “Come on in. I was just makin’ some breakfast. You want some?”

Jake followed Cole into the kitchen and headed for the
stainless steel carafe. “Just coffee, thanks.”

Plating his eggs and bacon, Cole said, “Suit yourself.” His
appetite was virtually non-existent this morning, but he still had a ranch to
run, and that required a lot of stamina. “Pull up a chair and let me have it.”

Jake leaned against the counter, coffee cup in hand, and
glared at him. “What the hell were you thinkin’ gettin’ involved with Charlene
of all people? I thought you were my friend.”

“Don’t give me that shit. I am your friend. This has nothin’
to do with you. This is between me and Charlene, nobody else.”

“You really believe that?” Jake brought the heavy ceramic
mug to his lips. “Man, I know you haven’t lived in a small town all your life
the way we have, but you gotta know that people talk. And you know they do
their fair share of talkin’ about you.”

Cole shrugged. He didn’t care what they thought about him,
unless the gossip hurt the people he loved. “Let ‘em say what they want about
me. I don’t have to answer to anyone.”

“What about your mama and your little girl?”

“What about them?”

“You ever think about what this is doin’ to them?” Jake took
a deep swallow of the strong brew before he said, “I know Cassidy’s too young
to understand, but she won’t always be this young. What happens when you have
to explain your
choices
to your daughter?” 

Just thinking about it made Cole sick. “I’ll worry about
that when the time comes.”

“That time may be comin’ sooner than you think, man. Trust
me, I’ve got a kid not much older than Cassidy, and I know that kids start
talkin’ about sex a lot earlier than when we were their age.”

“What’s your point?” As if he didn’t know. “You tryin’ to
reform me, make me worthy of your sister?”

Jake smirked. “You’ll never be worthy of my baby sister. But
then, no one will.”

“I’m sure Tucker felt the same way.”

Jake was married to his best friend, Tucker’s, younger
sister, Jessica. The difference was they all grew up together, and Jake was a
stand-up guy. His wife’s family had already considered him one of their own and
welcomed him into the family with open arms. Cole knew his reputation preceded
him. He could never expect Charlene’s family to welcome him.

“I’m askin’ you, as a friend, to just stay the hell away
from her.” Jake pulled out a chair at the opposite end of the table and sat
down. “Don’t pull her into your mess. She doesn’t deserve that. You know
what’ll happen. People will start talkin’ about her behind her back. She’ll be
an outcast at work. The parents will condemn her. Everyone knows what you’re
into. It’s not exactly a secret.”

“I’ve never done any of that with Charlene, just so you
know.” Sex with Charlene was as vanilla as he’d ever had, but for some reason,
it filled a hole in his soul that being a Dom never had.

“Good to know,” Jake said, wincing. “But that’s not even the
point. If people find out you guys are seein’ each other, they’ll just assume
you’re…she’s… well, you know…”

Cole wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. Jake was right. He
didn’t see any way he could get involved with Charlene without causing her
heartache, and the thought of hurting her destroyed him. No matter how much letting
her go would hurt, he had to consider what having a relationship with him would
do to her. “So, you want me to keep my distance?”

“Not only for her sake, but for yours too. My sister can’t
give you want you need. Find someone who’ll make you happy.”

Jake had no idea how happy Charlene had made him, but
spilling his guts now was pointless. It was over. “Don’t worry, I’ll back off.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate that.” He stood up and pushed
away from the table. “It’s for the best, you’ll see.”

Best for whom? Sure as hell not for him.

When Charlene’s doorbell rang, she battled the urge to
ignore it. Cole had called half a dozen times: twice last night before she
finally drifted off and at least four times before breakfast. The phone had
been quiet in the hours since breakfast, but that might have been because he
decided to plead his case in person.

“Hi, Miss McCoy,” Cassidy said, thrusting a canister at her.
“Me and my nana made these last night. I thought you might like some.”

Charlene grinned as she opened the canister to find several
richly decorated gingerbread men and sugar cookies. The extra sprinkles and
wiggly lines told Charlene they were Cassidy’s handiwork. “Did you decorate
these yourself?”

“I sure did,” she said, grinning to reveal two missing
teeth. “You like ‘em?”

“Like them? I love them!” Charlene smiled at Mrs. Braxton. She’d
known the older woman most of her life, yet she never appreciated her chocolate
brown eyes… with subtle gold flecks, just like her youngest son’s. “Um, why
don’t you come in and have some hot chocolate?”

“Oh, can we, Nana?” Cassidy asked, clasping her gloved hands
in a pleading gesture.

“We wouldn’t want to intrude on your day off, Charlene.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t be. I was just taking care of a few things
around here. Nothing that can’t wait a while.”

“Okay,” she said, setting her hand on her granddaughter’s
shoulder. “But we can’t stay long. Story time at the library is starting in an
hour, and it’s my turn to read to the kids.”

Mrs. Braxton had volunteered at the local library for as
long as Charlene could remember. Even with her responsibilities at her family’s
ranch, she was always active in the community, and now that her son ran the
show, she spent most of her time doing charitable work.

“Can I see Henry’s parents?” Cassidy asked, pulling off her
hand-made piggy hat as she walked through the door.

“Sure, they’re in the bedroom at the end of that hall. But
make sure you close the door, just in case they manage to wriggle out of your
hands.”

Cassidy giggled. “Remember the first time I held Henry? He
got away from me.”

“I remember.”

Charlene smiled as she stroked the little girl’s glossy
ringlets. She knew professional decorum should prevent her from being so
obvious about her growing feelings for Cassidy, but she couldn’t help it. She
adored the little girl. She tried telling herself she would feel the same way
even if she wasn’t Cole’s daughter, but the fact that she was a part of him
definitely added to her charm.  

Mrs. Braxton watched her granddaughter run down the hall
before turning her attention to Charlene. “That little girl is quite fond of
you. But I’m sure you know that already, don’t you?”

“I care about her too, a lot.” Charlene led her guest into
the kitchen, placing the cookie canister in the middle of the table as she
pulled out a chair for Cole’s mother. “Please, have a seat. I’ll start on that
hot chocolate.”

“You know my granddaughter has been through a lot, Charlene.
It’s not easy for a little girl to grow up without a mother.”

“I can’t even imagine what it must be like for her.”
Charlene sighed as she poured milk and scooped cocoa into a saucepan on the
stove. “But she seems so happy, so well-adjusted. I’m sure that has a lot to do
with you… and her father, of course.”

“Cole does his best with her. So do I. But it’s not the same
as having a mother.”

“No, I guess it’s not.” Charlene stirred the mixture
carefully with a wooden spoon, giving the task more attention than it needed.
She didn’t know where Ruth Braxton was going with this conversation, but she
was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like it.

“Have you ever thought about having children of your own
someday?”

“Sure, someday. I love kids. Being a teacher is great, but…”

“But it’s not the same as having your own?”

“Right.”

“Does the thought of being a step-mother bother you?”

Realizing Ruth wasn’t talking about her granddaughter took
Charlene a minute. She was talking about Paul’s daughter. “Um, I haven’t given
it a lot of thought to tell you the truth. Like I said, I love kids, so I can’t
imagine it being a problem.”

“Your mama told me that Paul Courtnall and his daughter came
over to their house for Thanksgiving. Are things getting serious between you
two?”

That was so typical of Brant’s older generation. They didn’t
think twice about delving right in to the personal questions. “Um, I don’t
think I’d go that far. He’s a nice man. I like him.”

“But not as much as you like my son?”

Charlene wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond to that
question. She didn’t want to be rude, but she wasn’t ready to invite an inquisition
about the nature of her relationship with the woman’s son. “Cole’s a great
guy.”

“My granddaughter tells me you two have spent a lot of time
together?”

Leave it to an innocent little girl to spill all your
secrets. “At the school. We, uh, see each other when he drops Cassidy off and
picks her up.”

“Hmmm, so I’ve heard. You know I’m close friends with your
principal, Mrs. Briar. She tells me Cole’s been a big help around the school
lately. He’s volunteering for field trips, helping out at the pizza lunches; he
even made a sizeable donation to the library, in my name, recently.”

Charlene’s stomach took a tumble. She didn’t have a prayer
of quashing her feelings for this man. “Really? Cole didn’t mention anything
about the donation to me.”

“Apparently, he’s funding the school field trips as well. He
told Mrs. Briar he knows how hard some of Brant’s residents were hit by the
recession. He just wants to do what he can to help, to make sure that all of
the kids can go on the trips, even if their parents can’t afford it.”

“That was nice of him.” Charlene tried to focus on keeping a
steady hand as she poured the creamy liquid into three mugs. “I’m sure the kids
and their parents will appreciate it.”

“My son is a very wealthy man, Charlene. In case you didn’t
know.”

“Cole and I don’t discuss his finances, Mrs. Braxton.” She
set the mugs on a tray with a small bowl of miniature marshmallows and
container of whipped cream.

“I’m not just talking about his stake in the ranch. He did
very well for himself in real estate before he moved to Brant. He’s still
investing. In fact, he’s built quite an impressive portfolio.”

The time for diplomacy had passed. “Why are you telling me
all this?”

Ruth sighed as she settled back in her chair. “Just trying
to gauge your reaction, I guess. Trying to figure out if you knew about it.”

“I didn’t, but it doesn’t make a bit of difference to me. I
couldn’t care less how much money Cole has.” It was everything else he had to
offer that intrigued her.

“I’m just saying… a high school teacher doesn’t make much
these days. Someone in Cole’s position might look a whole lot more appealing,
for all the wrong reasons.”

Charlene set the tray down in the middle of the table,
grateful she didn’t drop it when the shock of the other woman’s words settled
in. “I can’t believe you would think that of me. You’ve known me my whole life,
Mrs. Braxton. You’ve been my mother’s friend—”

“Honey,” she said, patting her hand, “please don’t misunderstand.
I think the world of you, and it’s obvious my son and granddaughter do, too.”
She sighed when Charlene withdrew her hand. “But it’s my job to protect them,
and I don’t want to see you get hurt, either. I adore your family. They’re
lovely people, but…”

“But you don’t think I’m the right woman for your precious
son, is that it?”

“I don’t think he’s the right man for you, dear.”

Heat crept up Charlene’s neck when she realized where this
was going. “You needn’t worry, Mrs. Braxton. Cole and I have no intention of
getting involved. We know it would be a bad idea, for a number of reasons.”
Actually only one reason came to mind, but Cole’s mother already knew more than
she needed to.

Ruth pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m so glad to hear you
say that. I tried to talk to Cole about this last night, but he just got so
defensive about it.”

“You talked to Cole about me?” Charlene sank into a chair
when she couldn’t trust her legs to support her weight any longer.

“Yes, I told him I thought you two were all wrong for each
other. You remind me of his late wife in a lot of ways. She was very sweet,
innocent, maybe a little naïve. But they were so young when they met. I think
she was drawn into something that…” Ruth flushed. “Well, it was a little more
than she could handle.”

Charlene felt nauseated. She knew this was only the
beginning. If people found out about her relationship with Cole, her sex life
would become the hottest topic of conversation at Mavis’s diner. She’d never be
able to show her face again. “With all due respect, I’m not sure I’m
comfortable discussing this with you. Whatever happened or didn’t happen with
Cole and his late wife is none of my business, unless he chooses to discuss it
with me himself.”

Ruth smiled. “That’s sweet of you to say. I’m sure Cole
would appreciate that, but I just want you to know that I think you’re making
the right decision by not getting involved with him.”