Hooked (11 page)

With a concerted effort, Annie tried her best to listen to what the preacher said. In reality, all she did was watch Lilly’s hand stroking the same shoulders Annie had clung to just days ago while Luke had made love to her.

As Lilly leaned close to Luke’s head and whispered something to him, Annie distinctly remembered why she’d avoided getting involved with a man most of her adult life. It sucked.

Chapter Nine

Luke sat in the front pew with his mother on one side and Lilly on the other and listened to the service. The preacher knew his father as well as anyone in the town. Thankfully, he could handle the service alone, speaking eloquently about the man and his life without Luke’s participation. Luke didn’t think he had it in him to stand, let alone get up there in front of everyone and tell them how much he’d miss his father. That would have broken him for sure. As it was, it was difficult enough simply listening.

One big fat tear rolled down his cheek. He brushed it away quickly with the back of his hand. His father had never given him the real-men-don’t-cry speech as a kid, but still, Luke wouldn’t let himself break down. Not here. Not now.

Lilly leaned closer. “You all right?”

What the hell kind of question was that? Of course he wasn’t all right. His father was laid out in a coffin when he should be out enjoying the prime of his life. Somewhere in the back of Luke’s mind he knew Lilly was only trying to be nice, but right now he wasn’t feeling all that receptive.

“I’m fine.” His words came out short and low, just like his level of patience.

He shifted slightly away from Lilly and closer to his mother who reached over and squeezed his hand in response. Meanwhile, the only thing Luke could think of was he wanted this service and this day to be over.

The preacher brought the service to a close and it came time to carry the coffin to the hearse. Luke would have rather had the service go on for a little bit longer than have to do what was required of him next.

Rising from the pew, Luke feared his legs wouldn’t hold him. That he wouldn’t be able to do it. He pushed himself forward anyway, joined by Chris, Mr. Collins and three friends of his father’s. Their steady presence nearby helped a bit.

He must have looked as unsteady as he felt. As he lowered himself to lift the mahogany casket, Chris whispered, “You okay?”

What was it with the Collins siblings and that question?

“Fine,” was all Luke could manage in answer before the full weight of not just the coffin bearing his father’s body, but also the mental weight of knowing his father was truly gone forever, descended upon his shoulders.

The aisle of their small church had never felt so long in all the years he’d been going here. A sea of faces both familiar and strange passed in a blur until there she was—Annie—standing in the back next to Slade and Mustang. They must have arrived late, just as Slade had said on the phone that they might.

Luke would have given anything to bury his face in Annie’s hair—bury himself in her—and release the stress and grief of the past few days. Just escape and pretend for even a moment none of this had happened and he was back in her hotel room and happy.

Instead all he could do was make eye contact and give her a quick nod. He hoped it conveyed the appreciation he felt for her coming to be here for him. Then he and the procession were past her and heading out into the blinding sunlight of the day.

The next hour passed in a dizzying kaleidoscope of passing scenery, people and flowers as the church emptied and the entire procession followed the hearse to the cemetery. There at the gravesite Luke watched nearly every person who’d ever known his father bow their heads and say one final goodbye. He couldn’t bring himself to think of it as his father the cemetery workers were waiting to cover with dirt once the crowd dispersed, so he simply thought of it as a flower-covered box.

He raised his eyes from the neatly shorn and trampled grass beneath his boots and glanced around the crowd. He found Annie standing not too far away, the sunlight bouncing brightly off the highlights in her hair. Her eyes were hidden from view by sunglasses. A furrow creased her brow as she listened to the graveside service the preacher delivered.

Luke finally caught her gaze and managed a small smile. The corners of her mouth lifted in response before she broke their eye contact as the preacher wrapped up.

Then it was done and he was back in the Collins’s car on the way home to have coffee and cake with everyone, while all he really wanted to do was be alone. Or better yet, get a few moments alone with Annie. She was a good listener, but he knew she’d also be good at silence if he didn’t feel like talking. He needed that right now. It seemed everyone wanted to ask him or tell him something when all he really wanted was silence.

His wish came true at the house when he finally, after what seemed like hours, got away from everyone and found Annie talking to Chris. Luke squashed the tinge of jealousy that his best friend might possibly be making a move on the woman he had no clue that Luke had a history with, however short and recent that history was.

“Hey, Annie. I’m glad you made it. Thank you for coming.” Luke reached out and ran a hand down her arm before leaning in and dropping a hopefully chaste-looking kiss on her cheek.

She treated him to a smile that lit not only her face, but also his heart. “I’m glad we made it too. It was touch and go there for a while, between Mustang’s crazy driving and the flat tire.”

“Yeah, Slade called this morning and said he and Mustang were having some trouble with the trailer.” It felt good to talk about something other than death for a bit. Something mundane, like the subject of flat tires, was just what Luke needed right about now. He glanced at Chris, wishing the man would find something he needed to do so he could try and enjoy Annie’s company for however long he could manage to hide from the crowd. Maybe Chris would leave if they talked about more boring stuff. “So thanks for the flowers you had sent. They were really beautiful.”

Annie held up one hand. “I can’t take the credit. Honestly, every one of the guys contributed. There was so much money left over after ordering the arrangement we were able to make a nice donation to charity in your father’s name. The organization will be sending your family a card.”

Luke felt his eyes get misty and tried to swallow down the emotions. “That was incredibly nice of all of you. He would have liked that.”

Her eyes were looking a bit glassy too as she nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

Luke glanced up to find Chris watching his and Annie’s conversation. A wave of guilt hit him, which he tried to reason away. He and Lilly were broken up and had been for months now. Luke was allowed to have a female friend. Hell, he could have more than a friendship with a woman if he wanted to. He was free and single and could get a girlfriend if he wanted. So why did Luke feel like he was betraying his best friend by wishing everyone would go home except for Annie?

Chris hooked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen. “I’m just going to go see if your mom needs anything.”

Maybe Chris had already sensed what Luke was trying to hide.

“Thanks, Chris.” Luke was going to get what he’d wanted, so why did he feel so bad about it?

His friend nodded to the two of them and then was gone. Someone came through the hallway carrying more food, and Luke took the opportunity to move his conversation with Annie to a quieter location. He steered her by the elbow into the study in the back of the house. “So I, uh, didn’t know you were coming with Slade and Mustang. It was a nice surprise to see you.”

“I wanted to be here.” Her eyes softened, showing him all she was feeling. Sympathy. Understanding. Compassion. And something more.

Luke didn’t have the words to tell her how much it meant to him she’d come, but he still tried in his own clumsy way. “Yeah, but it was still really nice. I know you must have had to change travel plans. And it’s not like you knew my father or anything.”

“I’m here, we all are, to support you. Besides, we’ve all met your father. He’s come to see you ride more than a few times.” Annie let out a short laugh. “And he was never shy about telling everyone behind the chutes how great you were. He thought the world of you.”

“Yeah. He was like that.” Luke managed a smile. Annie’s words brought back so many memories and that’s what broke him. Tears began to blur his vision and he let out a sob tinged with a laugh. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Annie took a step closer and grabbed his hand with a firm squeeze.

That small show of controlled affection destroyed whatever reserve he had left. Reaching out blindly, Luke grabbed Annie and pulled her into his arms. He held her against him like he was a drowning man and she was the only life vest on board. He sobbed against the top of her head while she held him silently. He didn’t know how long they stood like that, except by the time he’d gathered his composure and pulled away from her, his tears had left a dampened, darker patch in her hair.

“I feel like an idiot.” Not enough of one to totally let go of her though.

“Don’t be silly.” She frowned up at him.

With one hand, he swiped at the last of the moisture from his eyes and then ran a hand over her head. “I got your hair wet.”

She smiled. “Luke, it’s fine. It’ll dry. I promise.”

“I held it together at the church and at the cemetery. I don’t know why now…”

Giving in, giving up, he let out a big breath of air and pulled her close again. She came willingly. Annie squeezed him harder. He closed his eyes and absorbed the feel of her arms around him, her body pressed to his.

“Because you don’t have to be strong now. It’s only me here. You can just be yourself. You don’t have to be invincible for me, Luke.”

He let out a small laugh. “I don’t?”

She shook her head and pulled back enough to look up at his face. “Nope.”

“That’s good to know.” Luke brought his hands up to cup her face. How could just talking to Annie lift the weight off his shoulders? “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

It was probably horribly inappropriate considering the timing, but he couldn’t help himself. He lowered his lips to hers. Luke kissed her with all the frustration and passion he’d bottled up for the past few days. He had a feeling his father would understand.

Her lips were soft and warm beneath his. He knew her mouth would be wet and welcoming if he dared take the kiss deeper, but he didn’t. Instead he fought the desire and pulled away.

“Annie.” He blew out a sigh. What could he say? He wanted to tell her to wait for him. That he’d be back to the circuit and to her as soon as possible. He wanted to tell her the only time he’d been even near happy lately had been here with her. Instead, all he said was, “Thanks again for coming.”

He hoped she somehow knew all the things he left unsaid, though he really had no way of knowing as she squeezed him and took a step back. “You’re welcome.”

Annie dropped her hands from his waist and glanced at the doorway. Luke heard the footsteps out in the hall, which Annie must have heard before him, just moments before Lilly walked into view.

Lilly stopped dead in the doorway. “Luke. Your mom needs you.”

Her eyes cut to Annie and lingered there, the possessiveness apparent in her gaze. He felt Annie stiffen.

A wave of guilt for wanting to move on with his life hit him. Luke set his jaw in anger, at both himself for feeling guilty and at Lilly for causing that guilt. Lilly had caused their break up. Not him. And now that he’d found someone else he was interested in she was acting like a bobcat fighting for a mate? On the day of his father’s funeral? When he shouldn’t have been kissing Annie in the first place. So many emotions swirled through him. He could have easily punched something until he beat all these feelings out of himself, or broke his hand, whichever came first.

Luke tamped down the rising turmoil within him. Now was not the time or the place to lose his temper. He’d already broken down emotionally once today.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Lilly.” When Lilly didn’t leave as he’d hoped, Luke turned back to Annie. “I need to go see—”

Annie nodded. “Of course.”

He wasn’t about to leave his ex-girlfriend alone with his current love interest, so Luke took Annie by the elbow.

“Come on. I’ll help you find Mustang and Slade.” Luke half-expected Annie to resist, to insist she’d be fine and that he should go to his mother, but she didn’t. With the tension in the small room thick enough to cut with a knife, he turned toward the doorway, happy to make an escape. “Excuse us, Lilly.”

Lilly’s gaze zeroed in on where Luke touched Annie as she moved to the side to allow them to pass.

The crowd had started to thin a bit, enough for Luke to locate the two cowboys he was seeking. “There they are in front of the food. I should have known.”

Annie smiled. “They do like to eat. We stopped at quite a few places on the way here.”

“I’m sure. Well, thank you again for taking the time to come.” They’d reached Mustang and Slade and Luke extended his hand to first one, then the other. “You guys too. Thank you for coming. It meant a lot.”

Slade shook Luke’s hand with a firm grasp. “Glad it worked out that we could make it.”

Mustang nodded. “Me too, but unfortunately we’re going to have to hit the road now.”

“Jenna’s meeting me at the next event. If we leave now and drive through the night we’ll be able to meet her at the airport.” Slade looked apologetically at both Luke and Annie. “I’m sorry we can’t stay longer.”

Annie shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I understand. I appreciate the ride.”

“I told her we’d leave my car and she could drive to meet us tomorrow.” Slade shook his head. “But city girl here can’t drive a stick shift.”

She laughed. “I’m sorry. I never needed to learn.”

“It’s okay, darlin’. I guess we all didn’t grow up driving tractors or old stick-shift pick-up trucks.” Mustang grinned.

“Guess not.” Annie glanced up at Luke. “I’d better say goodbye now. You need to get to your mother.”

“Yeah. I do.” He didn’t want to say goodbye yet, but he’d have to do just that. Luke kissed Annie quickly on the cheek, then again shook hands with the guys, which turned into a hug from both of them.