Matt—The Callahan Brothers (Brazos Bend Book 2) (30 page)

“Oh my goodness,” Torie breathed. She clutched Matt’s sleeve. “That red and black umbrella is made of lace thong panties.”

Matt’s head jerked around to look.

“I like to be original in my decorations,” Kathy said, beaming.

Glancing around the restaurant, Matt spied most of the women who’d bought photos from Torie that morning, friends of his from high school—some of whom he’d dated—and some of Maddie’s eldercare clients. He noted the table of gifts piled high and winced at the thought of boxes full of sturdy white cotton briefs.

Although come to think of it, recalling some of Maddie’s stories about her elder friends, edible panties weren’t out of the question. This just might get interesting. “Where do you want us to sit?”

Kathy shook her head and clicked her tongue. “No, Matthew. This is a girl thing. You need to leave, but be back here in two hours to pick them up.”

“Them?”

“That’s my other surprise. We have a special guest!”

With that, Matt’s instincts went on high alert. As the crowd parted in front of them, he reached beneath his jacket for his gun.

“Helen!” Torie exclaimed.

“Oh, Torie! I’m so glad to see you.” Helen Bradshaw rushed forward, shoving the thing she had in her hand at Matt as the twins fell into each other’s arms.

“Demon, dear,” Kathy Hudson observed. “Now, that’s what I call protection.”

Matt glanced down. In his right hand, he held his Glock. In his left, a fishbowl full of condoms.

***

As Torie hugged her sister tight, she glanced toward Matt, saw what was in his hands, and thought,
Just call me Alice. I’ve stumbled down the rabbit hole.

“What are you doing here, Helen?”

“I stopped across the street to buy gas and I asked how to find Matt and they sent me over here. It wasn’t twenty minutes ago. I didn’t have time to shop anywhere but the Mini Mart.”

“You bought those rubbers?”

“It’s the closest thing to lingerie they sell at a gas station.”

“Oh, Helen. I would have loved to watch that particular transaction.”

Matt found his voice. “Helen, honey? Are you alone?”

She nodded. “Something happened, though. I—”

“Matt?” Kathy touched his shoulder. “Do y’all need a minute?”

“We do.”

Kathy raised her voice. “Okay, ladies. I’m gonna switch things around. We’ll eat first, then open the gifts. We’re gonna give our honoree a minute to catch up with her sister so they can both concentrate on the party. So y’all get in line at the salad bar and load up.” She led the way for Matt, Torie, and Helen, threading through the crowd to reach the office in back.

When Kathy left them alone, Torie again hugged her sister hard, then said, “Tell us everything.”

“It may be nothing. I could be overreacting, but after your message warning me to be careful, I can’t dismiss it as coincidence.”

“Dismiss what as coincidence?”

“Someone tried to run me down.”

Torie reached instinctively for Matt’s hand as he quickly said, “Tell us exactly what happened.”

Helen told her story with a scientist’s attention to detail. She described the sun’s position, the speed of the wind, and the make, model, and color of the vehicle. “I didn’t see the driver,” she confessed. “It happened so fast and by the time I thought to notice, the car was driving off and I couldn’t see through the tinted back window. I didn’t get the license plate number because I lost my glasses when I fell. It’s possible the driver didn’t see me and it truly was an accident, but ... it scared me.”

“Of course it did.” Torie studied her sister closely, frowning at the scratches and scrapes visible on her arm. Glancing at Matt, she said, “We have to catch him, Matt.”

He nodded grimly. “Did you notice anything unusual at all, honey?”

That was two “honeys,” Torie noted. While Helen considered the question, Torie filed the observation away for consideration at a more appropriate time. “No. Not at all. The amount of traffic was normal for lunchtime.”

“Do you usually leave the lab that time of day?”

“Most days, yes. I walk a two-mile route for exercise. I might have been a few minutes earlier than usual because I had a lunch date.”

“How did you end up here?”

“I bought a ticket to Hawaii with a layover in Dallas. I called a friend who picked me up at the airport, then let me borrow his car.” Her teeth tugged her bottom lip. “I watched the road. I don’t think I was followed, but I admit I don’t have any experience at this sort of thing.”

Matt glanced at Torie. “Have you two been in contact I don’t know about?”

“One thing I do know is how to research.” Helen chastised Matt with a look. “Once I knew she was with you, it was easy.”

Torie hugged her sister one more time. “Ah, Helen, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’d have hated missing your bridal shower. You do know I’m dying to hear all about the engagement. It’s so exciting. A wedding! On a beach in Bali, yet. You never cease to surprise me, sister.”

“Uh ... Helen ...”

“At least promise me you’ll choose a flattering sarong for your maid of honor. I want to wear yellow.”

“Helen, I need to explain.”

“Not here, Shutterbug,” Matt interrupted. “Not the right place, not near enough time for explanations. Here comes Kathy.”

On cue, a knock sounded on the door. “You girls about ready? The natives are getting restless. We have Edna Wilkins’s chocolate cake for dessert and I won’t let them cut into it until you’ve opened your gifts. Believe me, further delay at this point isn’t advised.”

Torie met her sister’s gaze and silently conveyed an apology and a caution. Helen knew her well and she didn’t miss the message. She gave Torie’s hand a squeeze as they returned to the main part of the restaurant, which Matt refused to leave until Torie gave her solemn promise not to step foot outside the Dairy Princess until he returned.

Following that came one of the most uncomfortable hours of her life. People she didn’t know gave her lacy scraps of underwear and filmy gowns and made jokes about her sex life. She heard ribald stories about her lover’s youth and listened to three different women—three confessedly happily married women—swoon over Matt Callahan’s buns.

As if that weren’t bad enough, they started asking her about her job with
National Geographic
. Helen, quick on the uptake and infinitely more experienced than Torie where research trips were concerned, stepped into the breach. Torie was amazed to hear her sister lie so well, and for a few moments, the novelty distracted her.

Edna Wilkins’s cake proved as good as promised and offered the opportunity to turn the conversation away from her. While talk centered on speculation about a secret ingredient and Helen participated with unbridled enthusiasm, displaying a surprising depth of knowledge about baking while tidily disassembling the thong umbrella and folding and tucking panties into a gift box, Torie once again experienced the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole moment. What had her sister been doing with her time of late?

Other than dodging wannabe killers behind the wheel, of course?

The chuckle built within her softly, slowly. When it finally spilled from her lips, only someone paying close attention would notice the hysterical note to the sound. Helen noticed. So did Matt the moment he walked back into the restaurant. When he bent down to greet her with a kiss, he whispered in her ear, “What is it?”

“Nothing. Everything. I think you’d better get me out of here, Callahan.”

Matt assessed the situation and stepped onto the stage. He made a show of trying to peek into boxes while he made suggestive comments that charmed the guests and elicited some wistful looks from both young and old. He then launched into an effusive thank you for their generosity that required only a nod, smile, and simple agreement from Torie. Then he ushered her and her sister smoothly out the door.

Had she not already been in love with the man, she’d have fallen then and there.

Matt guided her quickly to his truck, explaining that Mark would drive out to the lake house with Helen. “Are you worried that she was followed?”

He hesitated a moment before saying, “I believe in being careful.”

Good. Torie liked that attitude under the circumstances. She shut her eyes and let her head drop back against the headrest. A few minutes later, she commented, “The people of this town are so nice. They don’t know me at all and look what they did. I felt awful, knowing it was all a lie.”

Matt didn’t respond to that, and they rode the rest of the way in silence.

At the lake house, Matt showed Helen to a guest room, then disappeared down onto the dock with his brother. Finally alone, the two sisters reverted to habits of their childhood by sitting cross-legged on the queen-sized bed while Torie launched into her story, thus answering her sister’s unspoken questions.

She told Helen about the stalker’s tricks, her flight to Texas, and Matt’s agreement to help. She neglected to mention the truck-shooting incident or the fact that they’d become lovers.

“That’s frightening,” her twin said when she was done. “I’ll bet you were scared to death. Oh, Torie. Why didn’t you contact me? I should have been there for you. You’re always there for me.”

“At first, I didn’t want to worry you. Then I was afraid of putting you in danger.” She paused, her teeth tugging at her lower lip. “I guess I did that anyway. I should have called.”

“Don’t, Tor. This isn’t your fault.” Helen rolled off the bed and walked over to the window, where she pushed back a pair of nautical print curtains and gazed out toward the lake. “Isn’t this a pretty spot? You did a good job picking a hiding place.”

Then she turned around, folded her arms, and said, “But now, tell me about this wedding. Bali? National Geographic? What’s the scoop, sis?”

It arrived in a flash, seemingly out of nowhere. One second she was fine, the next, an emotional mess. Torie’s throat went tight. Pain grabbed hold of her heart and wouldn’t let go.

“Oh, Helen. He gave me this ring. He announced it to the world. He made it all up so that the husband-hunting women in town would leave him alone. How sad is that? And I’m putting up with it! That’s even worse. I offered myself up like a sacrifice. I’m pathetic.”

“No, you’re not.”

Then her sister was beside her, hugging her, while Torie babbled. “I’m sleeping with him.”

“I should hope so.”

“I’m in love with him.”

“Of course you are.”

“You know, I could have hired a private investigator in LA. Even with all the awful stuff, I could have handled it. Until the explosion, anyway. It was an excuse. I wanted to see him again. He’s my dream man. My superhero. My fantasy lover.”

“Your James Bond,” Helen said with gentle understanding.

That’s when Torie looked up and met her sister’s misty-eyed gaze, and the words poured from her soul. “No. Don’t you see? He’s not a movie character or a movie star. He’s not fake like all the other people in my life, not paparazzi bait. He’s not James Bond. He’s better than Bond. He’s real. The real deal. He’s Matt Callahan, and God help me, I love him with all my heart!”

Helen brushed Torie’s hair away from her eyes. “I think he loves you, too.”

“No. He doesn’t love me. We have an agreement. It’s over when I leave Brazos Bend. I’m the Callahan girl only until the movie ends.”

Helen rolled her tongue around her mouth. “I’m sure that makes sense somehow.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be doing this.” Torie gripped her head in her hands. “It’s just nice to have someone I can count on. Someone who I know is on my side. Someone I can trust.”

“Oh, sweetheart, have you told him how you feel?”

“Oh, yeah.” Torie summarized that joyous little occasion and how quickly he’d run off.

“He’s scared,” Helen said with conviction.

“Matt? I don’t think so.”

“Well, I do and you should trust my opinion. In fact, you need to open your eyes and trust Matt not to hurt you.”

“Are you sure you didn’t bump your head in your fall?”

Helen simply frowned at her. “I know that trusting a man is the hardest thing for you—Dad made sure of that. I suspect that for you, it’s easier to love than to trust.”

“I think you’re probably right about that.” Torie grabbed a tissue from a box beside the bed and blew her nose. “Only that. I think with some of the guys I’ve been with in the past ... I always loved them a little. But never enough. I always held something back.”

“Not this time, though, hmm? Torie, look into your heart. You love Matt, but you also trust him. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come to him, wouldn’t have put up with this nonsense of a fake engagement, wouldn’t have subjugated your pride and self-respect, unless deep in your soul, you trust him to do right by you. You trust him, and that’s huge for you.”

Torie sat for a long few minutes, thinking about what her twin had said. Could Helen possibly be right? Had she made that leap into faith without being aware of it?

“No. It’s a nice theory, Helen, but I don’t think it holds water. Love him, yes. But trust him? No. He’s given me no indication that he wants to continue our love affair after the stalker is caught. I’ll go back to my lonely, if adventuresome, life with Gigi and my Hasselblad. He’ll eventually figure out what he wants and maybe find a woman who’ll give him kids and a white picket fence.”