“Cat.”
“Suits him, for some reason. You got more of that?” he pointed at her coffee.
“Sure, I made a pot.”
He fixed his coffee, then took the chair beside hers, and they sat in silence as around them the day came to life. It was peaceful and right… and Jake had a sinking feeling. He jumped back out of his chair. He didn’t need peaceful in his life at the moment, not when his head was still screwed up. Hell, he could hardly function by himself without worrying about a woman.
“I’ve got to go.” He went back up the stairs and found the rest of his clothes, then ran back down and out the door.
“See you ‘round, McBride.”
“Sure.” He took a step off the porch, then retraced it. Grabbing her chin, he lifted it and kissed her hard. Without saying another word, he walked down the driveway and cut back up through the track that led to his home. Around him, the redwoods stood silently on guard as he ran home as fast as his legs would carry him, hoping the exercise would dislodge the disturbing thoughts that a night spent with Branna O’Donnell had created inside him. He didn’t rate his chances very high.
Chapter10
Branna spent the day doing things she’d put off since arriving in Howling. She unpacked the last of her things and tried not to think about Jake. As she tidied cupboards and dusted every inch of the house, she tried to push the feel of his body pressed against hers from her head. She baked an apple cake and some vanilla cookies and refused to imagine him leaning on her cabinets eating.
She wrote for two hours and hoped the words were useable as she kept picturing how his face changed last night when the memories that rode him hard filled his dark eyes. His hands had been shaking, his jaw clenched, and Branna knew what he was feeling. She had felt his pain. The man was suffering and had been for some time. Did his family realize? Who did he talk to when he was hurting? Branna thought maybe Buster and, obviously, the Texan, as he was the one who’d saved him.
She’d look differently at the big, smooth talking Texan now. She’d see the man who’d gotten Jake to safety.
So many secrets and so much pain. Branna had always known that other people were hurting, and she’d comforted a few in her time, but her pain was hers, or had been until she’d met Georgie, Belle, and now Jake. They were the only three people who knew what had made her who she was today, and one of them was suffering right alongside her.
“God, what a mess.” Sighing, she went upstairs to take a shower. Jake had left in a hurry this morning, almost like being here with her had panicked him; it had certainly panicked her to feel the rightness of it, the comfort of having him in her home.
Branna washed and pulled on a fitted dress in a soft fabric that reached her knees with a little ruffled hem. It was lemon colored with thin shoulder straps, and she’d last worn it to visit her agent. Adding raspberry-colored sandals that gave her extra height, she slipped on a matching bangle. Pulling her hair up, she twisted it and clipped it into a messy knot. The mirror told her she looked ready to visit the school. She would arrive as school ended, and hoped to catch the woman before she left for the day; if not, she’d make time to come back.
It was another beautiful day and the heat was easing up slightly as she drove toward the town. Howling Elementary, Belle had told her, was a small building with a small attendance, but it had good teachers, one of whom was hopefully Miss Todd. Pulling into a parking space, she collected her bag. The building was one level with two wings; the main reception was through a set of glass doors. The cool air was nice as she walked up to the desk to where a gray-haired lady was typing.
“Good afternoon.”
The woman lifted her head and smiled.
“Hello, Branna.”
“Mrs. Huxley?”
“Yes, I transferred here, dear, from the high school. Closer to home, you understand.”
Mrs. Huxley was tall, rail thin, and her hair was now gray, but still cut in the bob she’d always worn. She’d been one of the administrators at the high school Branna attended. She was kind and sweet-natured, but capable of being a lioness when necessary. Fortunately, Branna had never crossed her, but she’d seen students who had, and it never worked out pretty for them.
“I’ve read all your father’s books, dear. He’s something of a celebrity here in Howling, and we’ve claimed him I’m afraid, seeing as he lived here for a while.”
“I’m sure he’ll be happy about that.” Branna wished people didn’t continually need to mention her father.
“Be sure you tell him, dear, and when he comes to visit, perhaps you could get something autographed for me.”
“He’s pretty busy right now, Mrs. Huxley, but I’ll see what I can do.”When hell freezes over, Branna added silently.
She didn’t want to see her father any more than he wanted to see her. When she’d told him she was leaving Howling after high school, he’d tried to argue with her, but Branna had seen the relief in his eyes, so she’d simply packed up and gone, leaving him here. He’d left too, not long after her, gone back to Ireland for a time; from there, she’d lost track of his movements. At first, he’d contacted her regularly, but eventually even that had died off, as she’d always cut his calls short because it hurt too much to hear his voice. And with distance came a small measure of peace. If she didn’t see him, she didn’t hurt quite as much. Then they’d had their fight, and she knew now there would be nothing further between them.
“Mrs. Huxley, I wondered if it was possible to see Miss Todd.”
“You know Ellen, Branna?” She could see the question in the woman’s eyes, and wondered how much to say.
“No, but I know one of her students, and I thought I could help him out a bit with his homework.”
“Well, now, that’s nice of you, dear, and I’m sure Ellen would appreciate it. You just stay there, and I’ll see if she’s still here.”
