Something to Prove (33 page)

“Leaving let us down.”

“I’m sorry. I owe an apology to you more than anyone. I never considered what my leaving
would do to you, but I knew, no matter what, you’d handle it. It’s who you are.”

Colin turned back to the box of food. “I can’t make up for not being here, but I can
promise not to leave again. Every day for three years, I wanted to come home, but
I didn’t have the balls to do it. I’m not the same man I was. Hell, I wasn’t much
of a man then.”

He dropped burgers into the chest freezer and waited for some response from Ryan.

“What about Elizabeth?”

That sure as hell wasn’t the kind of response he’d expected. Hearing her name caused
another arrow of pain in his chest. He unclenched his jaw. “She’s gone. What about
her?”

“Did you think about going after her?”

Colin turned back to his brother. “Honestly? Yeah. But I can’t walk away from home
again. Even if I did, what would I do? She has a career. She travels nonstop. She
doesn’t have room for me.”

“Did you ask her to stay?”

“Yes.” But he didn’t push. He should’ve made it a real invitation. He should’ve made
her believe he loved her.

“Then I guess you’re screwed.” Ryan’s stance finally relaxed.

Colin saw the look of pity on his face and tried not to cringe.

“But you do have a partner.” Ryan stuck out his hand to seal the deal.

Instead, Colin grabbed him in a bear hug. It felt good to have his brother back. “You
plan to be a silent partner, right?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Yeah, it was definitely good to have him back.

Three days and five failing businesses later, Elizabeth questioned her own sanity.
Every site she’d visited held some promise, but nothing excited her. She was exhausted
and still didn’t have a plan.

And Keith was little to no help. He’d offered to partner with her, but he really only
wanted to write a check and then reap the profits. Keith planned to continue doing
business the same way their father had.

She wanted to do things differently.

She wanted to get her hands dirty, to be a part of something, to build something.
Simply putting the Brannigan stamp on a business wouldn’t be enough for her. She knew
that now.

She needed real involvement. She wanted what she’d found in Chicago with Colin. Could
she figure out how to replicate that?

Her phone rang. It was the real estate agent in Chicago. “Hello.”

“Elizabeth. Good news. We have an offer. I’ll e-mail you the details now. I think
it’s the best we’re going to do.”

Elizabeth heard the words, but couldn’t quite grasp them. Sure, she’d wanted a quick
sale, but she wasn’t ready yet. She looked around her room in her brother’s carriage
house. A bottle of antacids sat on the desk beside her frogs. She picked up a frog
made of painted rock. Like her, they didn’t have a real home. “Take it off the market.”

“What?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to sell. So decline the offer and take it off
the market.”

“But—”

Elizabeth didn’t wait for reasons why she couldn’t or shouldn’t do that. She sat at
her computer, whipped off an e-mail, and scheduled a flight.

Colin got off the phone and depression stabbed at him. He called Ryan. “The deal’s
off. Our offer was rejected.”

“So offer a little more. That’s the way negotiations work.”

“I tried.” Part of him wondered if Elizabeth had found out he’d made the offer and
she didn’t want him to have it.

“Sorry, man. Let me know if you find something else. I’m still willing to work with
you.”

“Thanks.” Colin hung up. He was so upset that even Ryan’s support didn’t make him
feel better. He faced his routine for opening the bar with a grimness that took hold
of his whole body. His movements were sluggish, and he couldn’t even muster a smile
for Bianca, who came in to offer him a taste of the burger she’d cooked.

The front door opened, letting the afternoon sun streak into his gloominess. Without
turning around, he said, “Sorry, we’re not open yet.”

“That’s too bad. I could really use an Irish coffee.”

Colin spun so fast at the sound of Elizabeth’s voice that he lost his balance and
smashed against the bar.

She smiled. “That’s usually my schtick.”

“What are you doing here?” He realized he sounded like an asshole, but he didn’t know
how to fix that. Jumping across the bar wouldn’t be the best thing to do, but it’s
what his instincts pushed for. Keeping the desire in check meant he couldn’t necessarily
control his mouth.

She tugged at her blouse and cleared her throat. “We had an offer.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“I was the offer you turned down without negotiation.”

“You—” She froze, and confusion ran across her face.

She hadn’t known he’d tried to buy the bar. Why did she turn down the offer then?
While she took a moment to stare at him, he studied her. Dark circles showed she hadn’t
been sleeping again. Good. At least he wasn’t alone.

“Give me a minute.” She ran out of the bar toward the bathroom, gripping her bag to
her side.

He followed, afraid that she was going to be sick again. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. I’ll be right out.” Within a minute, she emerged from the bathroom wearing
a Brannigan’s Sports Bar T-shirt. One of the skimpy ones that showed great cleavage.
She’d let her hair down and wore a smile that exuded happiness.

She extended a hand. “Hi, I’m Elizabeth Brannigan, and I have a proposition for you.”

Hearing those words again made him smile. He rocked back on his heels. “As good as
the first proposition I made to you?”

She took a step forward, and her cinnamon scent tickled his nose. “Better.”

“Really?”

“I’m here to offer you a fifty-fifty partnership.”

“That’s a good deal, but I wouldn’t say that it’s better than my offer.”

Another step. “I’m proposing a fifty-fifty split in both business and pleasure.”

Blood drained from his brain, and he struggled to focus on her words. “What about
your dad’s company?”

“He made me CEO.”

That sobered him, and he edged away from Elizabeth. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks, but I quit.”

This conversation was giving him whiplash. “Why?”

“It wasn’t what I wanted. It turns out my brother knows me better than I know myself.
He bought this place for me as a graduation present because he thought I could make
a good life here.”

Colin absorbed everything she’d said. She’d come back for the business, but how did
he fit in? “What about us?”

“I want there to be an us. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I hope you can forgive me
for thinking that you’d do something to hurt me or our business. Being here, building
this business with you, made me happy, and I didn’t know how to trust that. But I’m
learning.”

His throat felt raw. “How do I know it won’t happen again? Or that you won’t take
off when things get rough?”

“You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

“That’s a lot of trust you expect. The kind that’s reserved for a select few.”

She moved closer again, putting her body within an inch of his. “Would it help if
I said I love you?”

His heart jumped into his throat. “Maybe. Are you going to say it?”

“I love you, Colin. I shouldn’t have left. I thought I screwed this up beyond repair.
I should’ve fought for us, but I was afraid you didn’t want this.”

He reached out and cupped the back of her neck. “How could you think I wouldn’t want
you? I’ve loved you for a long time. I didn’t want to hold you back from your dreams.”

“My dreams were blurry. I didn’t realize how good I had it here until I left. So,
do we have a deal?”

Words couldn’t express what he felt. He leaned in and kissed her until they were both
breathless. When they came up for air, he said, “One condition.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“You only wear this shirt for me.”

Her laughter echoed in the hallway until she began to snort. “Deal.”

3½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1¾ cups buttermilk
¹

 

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a round cake pan (8- or 9-inch).

 

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Pour in 1½ cups of buttermilk
and mix quickly. Add in remaining ¼ cup buttermilk and mix. Turn dough out on a lightly
floured surface and knead for only a few seconds to make sure it holds together. Shape
into a round disk and place in the prepared cake pan. Cut a cross into the top of
the bread. Cover with another inverted cake pan.

 

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove top cake pan and bake an additional 15 minutes. When bread
is done, you will hear a hollow sound when you thump the bottom of the loaf.

 

Slice and enjoy with butter.

Shannyn Schroeder is a former high school and middle school English teacher. She holds
a BA in English and MAs in Special Education and Gifted Education. After having her
third child, she decided to stay at home. She has since worked as an editor for a
couple of e-publishers, and currently works as an editor for an education company
that publishes online current events assignments. She juggles writing around the kids’
schedules.

In her spare time, Shannyn loves to bake and watches far too much TV, especially cop
shows. She started her first book on a dare from her husband and has never looked
back. She came to reading romance later than many, but lives for the happy ending
and writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.

Readers can visit Shannyn online at
www.shannynschroeder.com
and follow her on Twitter @SSchroeder_.