Storm Warning (20 page)

Tory rolled to
the
empty spot beside her and fumbled awake. She wiped her eyes to clear them and murmured her lover’s name. When no answer came,
she
glanced anxiously around the darkened room.

He was just here, was all she could think as she slipped out of bed and into her robe. His scent was still hanging in the air, she thought running a hand through her disheveled hair. She pressed her fingers to her lips. They were still
warm
from his. She realized with a sinking heart that his
things
were gone.

With a sound of distress, Tory raced across the room and clung to the window sill. Then, she saw him. He had one bag slung over his shoulder and carried the other two. He was walking briskly across the darkened parking lo
t into the
streetlight
. H
is body
was cast in shadows, making
him look untouchable. Already gone.

Tory watched helplessly as her lover walked away from her. And even as her heart was shattering, all she wanted him to do was turn around. But he never even looked back.

Chapter
Fourteen

“Order up!”

Those words alone were enough to have Tory grinding her t
eeth. It was time for a new job
. She had already changed so much, she reflected as she refilled coffee cups.

She
’d
had her hair whacked off until it stop
ped at her chin
, bought a useless dog she’d dubbed Chaos, and
was
fixing up her
parent’s
house one board at a time
.

She slept there as well. It was hard at first, being alone there. However, as time went on,
three months to be exact, it got
easier and
easier
. Now, with the kitchen in
its
final stages and one bathroom complete,
she
felt more at home there.

“Miss, I need a refill.”

She
pasted on a sorry excuse for a smile and made her way ove
r to the annoying local,
obligingly holding his empty coffee cup up in the air. Tory recognized
his face,
but didn’t have th
e inclination to remember a name.

With
out a word of thanks, he dismissed
her
after she filled his cup
, continuing
his meaningless conversation with his companion.
She
barely suppressed
the urge to sigh and turned around to greet more customers when the bell above the door dinged.

“Have a seat anyw
here and I’ll be right with you,
”
she
told them and went to fetch her notepad and pencil from the counter.

“S
hould keep
that in your apron,” was
the cook
’
s clipped
advice
which
she
merely snarled at. She didn’t feel like explaining
that
the not
ebook bulged out of her pockets, making her look
even more ridiculous.

She took orders methodically and served steaming coffee
,
all the while growing more and more irritable. Stopping for her break,
she
worked out a kink in her neck. She felt run down and
exhausted and couldn’t blame i
t on sleepless nights or physically laboring days.

No, she laid the blame for her foul disposition squarely on the fact that her lover had walked out of her life in the middle of the night
and had
failed to contact her since. She didn’t often let herself think o
f Gabe—only every other minute or so. S
he frowned at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

She had been used for
temporary
amusement. She’
d sensed that all along
,
but it hurt to know that she had meant nothing more to him than a temporary affair. She wondered often
if he ever thought of her now
that he was back in his
elegant, polished
world.

On a muttered oath, Tory shut off the lights and walked back out into the lobby. When she saw Adam sitting at the bar, surprise came first followed by pleasure. It had been a week since they had spent time together and
she
badly missed the contact with her brother and team.

“Hey, Bro.” She
slid
onto the stool next to him. “What’s up?”

Adam pulled out a rolled up magazine and slapped it on the table in front of Tory. “You seen this?”

“No.” Tory
unwrapped
it and Adam directed her to the page he was referring
to
.

She
could only gape at the picture of herself and Gabe dancing in the nightclub where they had first met. A smaller picture was clipped in the corner of Gabe and another woman sitting close together in a lavish restaurant booth. Several headlines screamed.
‘
NOTORIOUS GABE WILLS AND
STORM CHASER TORY FAIR
CHILD
AN ITEM’—‘GABE MOVES ON,
TORY HEARTBROKEN.’

“Who the hell leaked this?” s
he wanted to know.

“Read it and take a guess.”

Tory read the story, not
at
all accurate
about
her and Gabe Will’s love affair gone bad and ground her teeth together when she read an interview with Vance Johnson.

“What a bastard,
” Tory
flicked
the periodical away.

“I wanted to make sure you knew so we could deal with it.”

“
As if being arrested for assault wasn’t enough for him.
I’ll call Vance
later and deal with it,
” Tory swore.
She hadn’t spoken with him either, but that would be a pure pleasure now.

“How do you feel about all this?” Adam gestured to the magazine.

Tory thought for a moment. She had felt a surge of betrayal, anger, and maybe even jealousy when she saw the picture of Gabe and another woman together. Didn’t take him long, she thought furiously.

“It’s basically true, anyway.” She stood up abruptly. “My break’s over. Call you tonight?”

“Yeah, call me tonight.” Adam hugged
her
before scooping up the article and leaving.

Tory re-tired her apron and brewed a fresh pot of coffee before making her table rounds. She refilled coffee cups, dumped out ash trays, and
cleaned
all her t
ables. By two in the afternoon—with one hour
still
to go—
her feet were aching and her temper was sizzling.

She stopped in front of the window and stared out at the empty lot across the street. She couldn’t get the article off her mind. She didn’t care about the publicity. People had their opinions whether she worried about them or not. But what Vance had said, she reflected
,
was true and hurtful.
Tory ca
n’t keep a relationship for anything. It’s just not in her. I wonder
, Vance had been quoted,
what makes a person so unlovable?

Was she unlovable? s
he wondered. And what
had
made her that way?

“Lady, are you gonna refill my coffee or sit th
ere and stare out the window?” a
gruff voice
came from behind her.

Tory turned around slowly and raised a dark brow at the customer.

“Would you like a refill?” s
he asked civilly.

“I thought I made that obvious.” He scooted his cup closer to the edge of the table. Tory took her time filling it
,
then drew out her pad.

“Are you ready to order?”

“Eggs and hash browns.”

“How would you like your eggs?”

“Cooked.”

Tory bit back her sigh and eyed the customer wit
h obvious disdain. “Scrambled?”

“As long as they’re cooked all the way.” He handed her the menu and gave her a mocking smile. “You can handle that can’t you,
sweetheart
?”

Oh no, Tory thought
,
snatching the menu, he didn’t.

Pressure began to accumulate in her chest. What was she doing here? She couldn’t stand this job. She hate
d being spoken to as if she was
lower than dirt. She
’d felt that way when the love of her life had
casually tossed her aside. She felt that way every time she scooped up a couple dollars from the tables she waited day
after day. Enough,
she
thought
, was enough.

She tossed her apron on the counter and picked up two eggs from the counter. Seeing red, she stalked out to the lobby and to the table the asshole occupied.

“Raw,” s
he said.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re getting your eggs raw.” She
cracked one over the table,
pulled the shells apart and let the yoke drip right into his lap.

“What the hell!”

She did the same with the other egg and slapped the shells on the table. “Enjoy your breakfast.” With that,
she turned and
marched out the front door.

Gabe slowed his jeep down in front of the big white house in Ada. He’d driven a long way for this, he thought, scanning the trees and fields.
His heart took s
everal hard knocks in his chest.

He’d missed her so much, he could scarcely think of anything else. He’d spent the first week after leaving beside the phone, waiting like a lovesick fool for her call. It never came, much to his frustration. He’d called her cell phone, but it’d been disconnected. He assumed she’d had it changed to ward off some of the media from the added publicity the team had received.

He didn’t know what he was going to say. He’d thought about it, but that had only made it harder for him to keep driving.
Every explanation, every accusation, and every plea came off as desperate. Hell, he
was
desperate.

And now he was here and all he could do was give it his best shot. He got out of the jeep and took the small box he’d brought from the back seat.

“Make a wrong turn, Wills?”

Her voice was the same, Gabe realized as he swallowed a thick lump in his throat.
He turned and saw her.
She walked toward him from the direction of one of the pastures. A big, silly dog trailed behind her. S
he was different. She’
d cut her hair just below her chin and she’d lost weight. Close to ten pounds, he estimated with a silent oath.

Her eyes were the same chocolate brown that he loved
,
but th
ey were cold and unyielding,
staring
unforgiving
into his.

“I’ve made a few wrong turns before I ended up in the right place.”

“I’ll be more than willing to help you fin
d your way back into town.” She
fol
ded her arms across her chest and
cocked a hip. She was in what
Adam
had
once
deemed her warrior stance.
His mouth watered.

“Tory, I’d like to talk to you.”

She laughed
,
but it was with
out humor. She turned on her hee
ls and walked up the drive and into the house leaving the screen door flapping behind her. Gabe took a moment to
control
his breathing before he followed her.

When he entered the house, the memories swamped him. She had gotten new furniture, he noticed as he walked through the living room
. The couches and chairs before had been old and a fun, floral print. She’d gone for leather this time around, which suited her perfectly. When he walked
into the kitchen
, she was pouring lemonade from
a sil
ver pitcher and the look on her face was grim.

Her movements were a bit stiff.
She
shut the refrigerator door with a snap and carried the lemonade to the table.

“Have a seat,” s
he invited.
She made herself busy by getting
cold
water for the dog.