Missy's Moment (The West Series Book 4) (14 page)

By the end of the wonderful meal, he realized he’d been a fool to worry. He’d hadn’t attended a family dinner that felt so comfortable since he’d dined at his cousins’ place when he’d been a teenager.

They had sat out on the back porch talking and drinking beer until her father was done grilling up the meat. Then they’d gone inside and had eaten at the large table which was made up fancier than any restaurant he’d ever been to. After eating more food than he’d eaten in a long time, they’d all gone back outside and chatted some more. He’d really felt relaxed and at home with everyone.

He’d laughed more that night than he had in years. He listened to stories of Missy and Grant’s childhood and wished more than anything that he’d been a part of a family that had actually cared and loved one another.

As he walked her home, he wished more than anything that he could track his brother down.

“You’re awful quiet,” she said, tugging on his hand.

He shrugged. “I like your family.”

She smiled. “I like them, too.”

“I wish I could find Ryan,” he blurted out and cringed a little.

“Well, have you looked?” She stopped to pull out her keys.

“Yeah, right after he left and again when dad died.”

“And?” She opened the door.

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I looked everywhere we’d talked about as children. All the places we’d dreamed of going.” He walked in behind her.

“You could hire someone.” She laid her purse down and turned towards him.

“Yeah, I suppose. I’d just hoped…” He stopped, not sure what he’d hoped.

“What? That he’d come back?” she asked.

He nodded and realized that the hurt ran deep. “I’m sorry.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Don’t be. I think I remember meeting you and Ryan once when you guys were staying out at the ranch for a week during summer.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You remember meeting me?”

He felt his face flush. “Sure.” He pulled her closer by using his hands on her hips. “You were going on a ride with Haley. You had on a pink tank-top and faded shorts.” He smiled. “They were very short and Ryan and I fought over who was going to ask you out first.”

“Why didn’t you?” She smiled.

He shrugged. “Dad came and picked us up while you were on your ride.”

“That’s too bad.” She leaned up and whispered against his lips. “I would have picked you.” He felt his heart skip as he leaned up and kissed him. She must have felt the urgency in his lips, because she moved closer and pushed him back until his shoulders came up against the front door.

He liked letting her take the reins and tried to relax as she rushed to pull and push his dress clothes from him as they stumbled their way back towards the bedroom. When he stood in front of her completely naked, he hiked her dress up with his hands and played with the silky material that covered her. When she moaned and leaned her head against his chest, he walked her towards the bed, falling with her onto the soft mattress, hiking the dress up more.

She was softer than anything he’d ever felt before and smelled and tasted better than anything he’d ever experienced. He wished that the moment could continue forever.

“Reece, please,” she begged him. Her head rolled from side to side as she kept her eyes closed tight.

“What Missy?” he asked, knowing full well her answer but wanting to hear her ask him in her sexy voice.

“I need you. I can’t stop wanting you.” Her eyes opened and she looked deep into his. “I think about you day and night. About this. About you.” She pulled him back to her lips as he plunged into her, holding her tight.

She was more than he’d ever imagined. The feel of her was intoxicating, the way she consumed his mind, his heart. She made him feel like he belonged. Like he was loved. He stilled when he realized that for the first time in his life, he loved someone completely.

“Reece, please,” she called out again, causing him to move. Her nails dug into his hips, forcing his hips to thrust against her. Then his mind shut off as she kissed him, and he let his body take over every movement. His heart rate spiked, his eyesight went dark, even his hearing left him, replaced by a heightened sense of taste, smell, and touch.

The buildup was nothing compared to being with her, inside her. His fingers dug into her soft skin, his lips yearned for hers. Even when he was enjoying her, he wanted more.

He felt her tighten around him just as his body exploded inside hers and he died the sweetest death he’d ever experienced.

Melissa was questioning her sanity. Her breathing had yet to return to normal and her ears were still ringing. But when she played it over in her mind, she could have sworn she’d heard Reece say that he loved her.

He was resting his head on her chest so she didn’t know if his eyes were open or closed. When she heard his heart slow, she thought he was asleep until he leaned up and looked down at her.

“I can hear you thinking,” he said, frowning slightly at her.

“Did you mean it?” She scooted back until she leaned against her soft headboard and pulled her skirt back into place. He was completely and gloriously naked and looked very comfortable.

“What?” He moved next to her.

“What you said.”

He frowned. “Yeah, but…” She didn’t let him get any further as she straddled his hips. She could see the fear in his green eyes and wanted nothing more than to soothe and comfort him.

“I love you, too,” she said and watched desire replace the fear. Holding onto him, she gave him a kiss that showed him everything she’d been feeling since he’d first opened those green eyes of his.

When she finally pulled back, she was breathless again and couldn’t stop smiling at him.

“What do we do from here?” he asked, rubbing his calloused hands over her skin. She loved the feel of them on her.

“How about a shower?” she asked, causing him to laugh.

That night as they lay tangled together, her mind refused to shut down. She had joked when he asked because she hadn’t known the answer to his question. Where did they go from there?

She’d never said those words to a man before. There had been other men in her life, but no other relationship had ever gone this far. They’d eaten dinner at her parents’ house, and her parents had pretty much given their blessings.

Of course, in their eyes, no West could ever be bad. But she knew the hell he’d been raised through and her parents didn’t. Still, as she watched him sleep next to her, she doubted he had a mean streak in him. He was not like his father, that was apparent.

She’d seen the tears in his eyes tonight as he talked about finding his brother. She was just drifting off when a memory flashed in her mind. She bolted up and started shaking Reece.

“Reece, wake up.”

“What?” He bolted up, switched on a light, and looked around. “What’s going on?”

“I…I think I know where your brother is.”

“What?” he asked, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

“I think I know where Ryan is.”

“How?” He frowned, looking at her as he leaned back against the headboard.

“Well, at least I know where he was two years ago.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Two years ago I was still interning at the hospital in Houston. That was just after I switched over from Children’s. Anyway, one night I was working ER and a man walked in with two bullet wounds to his stomach. He just walked in all by himself. It was amazing he was able to do that. When I reached him to help him to a gurney, he looked up at me and then passed out before I could get his name or what had happened to him. He stayed unconscious while we removed the bullets that were lodged in him. The next day I went to check on him but he’d been moved to his own room and he was gone. All of us were concerned since we didn’t know what had happened to him.”

“What has this got to do with my brother?” he asked.

“Well, before he passed out, I remember looking into green eyes.” She paused and looked at him. “Your eyes.”

“Are you saying my brother is in Houston? And that he was shot two years ago?”

She nodded. “I’m almost certain of it.” She thought about it. “I can make a few calls this week and find out if that man ever gave his name or insurance information.”

He nodded. “We never talked about going to Houston. There are too many people there. Ryan and I liked country living.” He frowned. “Then again, we talked about leaving together.”

She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s a lead. Maybe he was just passing through and got mugged?”

She felt him nod. “Did he make it through surgery okay? That man?”

“Yes. The doctors said that he had woken up halfway through it and demanded they leave him alone.”

“Leave him alone?” he asked.

“If I remember it correctly, the doctor said that he yelled for them not to touch him.” She looked up at him and watched as he paled a little. “Obviously he was well enough to get out of there on his own.”

He nodded. “What made you remember this?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure.” Then she remembered the look of fear Reece had in his eyes before she told him she loved him. “I saw something in your eyes tonight that I had seen in his. Identical expressions.”

He looked at her, waiting.

“Fear.”

T
he following days were full of paperwork and signing his name. Reece had never bought a house before, but he was sure there wasn’t this much paperwork when he’d sold his father’s property.

The final inspection and appraisal had been completed and as he sat next to Grant Holton and across from the Jones's, he realized he’d never felt more nervous in his life. How could buying a lot of dirt and a stick of house tie his stomach in knots?

Grant stood up and shook Mr. Jones’s hand. “Looks like we have everything finished.” Then he turned to Reece and handed him a silver key chain. “The place is all yours.”

He took the keys and shook everyone’s hands. When he left Grant’s office, he wasn’t sure what to do next. He’d never owned a place before. Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, he realized he didn’t even have a bed of his own and hadn’t owned anything short of a suitcase full of clothes since he’d sold everything after his father had died.

Looking around, he noticed the old antique store that sat across from the clinic. He’d never been in the place and decided it would be a good start. Worse case, he’d buy a used mattress and sleep on it until he could get into Tyler to a furniture store.

Glancing down at his phone, he realized it was just about time for Missy’s shift to end. So instead of walking into the antique store, he walked into the clinic instead.

The waiting room was quiet. Only two people sat in the chairs waiting, a mother and a small girl whose ponytails looked cute enough to tug on. He smiled at them when they looked up at him.

He walked up to the front counter and tapped on the glass. It took almost a minute for the glass door to slide open.

“Yes?” It was a rather large nurse who looked back at him.

“I’m looking for Missy.”

“Missy?”

“Melissa Holton.”

“Oh.” She smiled. “You must be Reece.”

Instantly he felt his face flush. So her coworkers knew about them. He wondered how much she’d told them and all of a sudden, he felt nervous.

“Yes, I thought I’d walk her home after her shift.”

“I’ll just run back and get her for you. Take a seat.” She nodded towards the row of chairs.

When he sat down, he smiled again at the little girl, who had decided not to read the book in her lap, but chose instead to watch him. This was one on the main reasons he liked this town—its people. He’d only ever heard of one problem that had bothered the people of Fairplay— and it had involved his family. But good had prevailed and life had picked up after the incident with the previous mayor’s wife.