Cowboy Payback (20 page)

Brett shot to his feet and held his hand out to Trisha, his body tightening in anticipation of brushing against her softness.

“Mmm…” she said on a sigh that went straight through him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and melting into him. “I didn’t think dinner would ever end.”

“Me, either.” He closed his eyes and inhaled, heady on her heat and sexy scent. Damn, she smelled great, a mix of mango and cinnamon, and oh hell, he wanted to eat her up.

Her lips brushed his neck, sending shivers straight to his toes. “When can we leave?”

“I wish it was now,” he replied in a half-groan, tightening the grip he had on her hip and shoulder blade. “But not for at least another hour, once Finn and Cammie leave for their honeymoon.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I know. My brother told me he’s dropping them off at the airport on his way back to Texas.”

Needing a distraction, he glanced at Liam, surprised to find the unflappable squid scowling at Stacy as she danced her required dance with Maddog. Judging by the expression, the former SEAL knew the A.D.

Interesting.

A twinge of a smile tugged Brett’s lips. If Trisha’s brother was worried about the dancing couple, he needn’t be. Finn’s buddy had been trying to put the moves on Stacy all morning, but the activity director had shot the big guy down every time. None of the marines or SEALs in the room had a chance.

Stacy was attractive, competent, organized, and capable. In the two years she’d worked at Royal Pines, the pretty brunette had never dated a guest, not that she hadn’t been hit on. He’d witnessed it numerous times, but she’d always politely refused. Now, he was having trouble recalling if he’d ever seen her go out on a date.

Surely, she had.

“I enjoyed your speech,” Trisha said against his neck. “Although, for a minute there, I have to admit, I stopped breathing.”

Frowning, he drew back to stare down into her open face. Her gaze was soft, solemn. “I’m sorry, Trisha. I didn’t mean to—”

She rose up on tiptoe and gently brushed her lips to his. “I know.”

He groaned and gripped her hips as his entire body reacted to her soft kiss. Forgetting where they were and how many eyes were upon them, he gave into need and kissed her properly. God, he loved how she felt, how she tasted. He couldn’t get enough.

Brett was beginning to wonder if he ever would when the music ended and hoots and hollers went up around the room.

They broke apart, and because there wasn’t much else they could do about all the snickers, he smiled and ushered his blushing
fiancée
from the floor amid a host of
semper fi
s.

He’d never lost control like that in public…ever. And,
ah, hell
. Her parents were in the room.

“I…um…think maybe we shouldn’t dance again tonight,” Trisha said as he led her to the bar across the room where she ordered more champagne, and he opted for something stronger.

He nodded and didn’t protest when she pulled away from his touch. “I agree. You are much too potent.”

“Ditto.” She smiled and sipped her drink. “We should probably mingle. Separately.”

Again, he nodded but hung around the bar for another shot as he watched her sweet ass sashaying through the crowd and talked himself out of groaning.

“Damn, you’re one lucky son of a bitch,” Maddog stated, joining him in the losers circle.

Although, the only thing he’d lost was his mind.

“I knew I should’ve tried harder back at your brother’s engagement party.” The SEAL sighed into his beer as Finn and Ramrod, another member of his brother’s former team, neared.

The groom chuckled. “Just because you’ve struck out with Stacy doesn’t mean you can sniff around my brother’s fiancée.”

“Stacy,” Maddog muttered. “She’s sweet, and smart, but only interested in one SEAL, and it isn’t me.”

“Of course it’s not you.” Ramrod shoulder-checked his big friend. “You just said she was smart.”

The four of them laughed, including Maddog who was the first to sober.

“Seriously, though. If she’s so smart, I’ve no idea why she keeps eying Liam. I heard he’d had his chance and blew it.”

Brett exchanged a look with Finn before sliding his gaze to their activity director standing with Cammie and Trisha, smiling at something the bride said…and glancing at Liam. The squid was sitting at his parents’ table having a beer with Colonel Fisher, Mr. Jennings’ old friend, and a few other marines here on Cammie’s behalf. When he caught Stacy staring at him, she quickly glanced away.

Yeah, those two definitely had a history, which meant things were going to get interesting this fall when Liam moved in temporarily while renovating the ranch. Brett made a mental note to talk to the woman and see if she was going to be okay with the arrangement.

He hoped so because he liked Liam and his résumé. The man was a damn talented builder, but Stacy had been a friend and one hell of a good employee for the past few years. His loyalty was to his activity director, even if Liam was related to Trisha.

Trisha.

The mere thought of the woman heated him from within. His attention drifted to the beauty in light blue, and he stilled, heart rocking hard in his chest.
Shit.
Aunt Lettie and her two grandchildren had joined the women, and sixteen-month-old Jonathan was clinging to Trisha’s legs. Color draining from her face, she stared unblinkingly down at the little boy tugging on her dress as he smiled up at her.

Ah, Christ
. Was she breathing?

Visions from their recent deployment shot through his head of similar little toddlers hanging on the corporal, vying for attention she willingly gave…until they’d all died.

Dropping his untouched scotch on the nearest table, Brett rushed to her side with Finn on his six and scooped the little boy up into his arms. “Hey, buddy, you have excellent taste, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to cut in and dance with my fiancée.” He handed the giggling child to Finn before turning back to Trisha. “Shall we?” Without waiting for a reply, which he knew wasn’t coming, he ushered, or rather tugged, her onto the dance floor and crushed her close.

Ah, Christ
. She was cold and shaking.

“It’s okay,” he said, keeping his voice low and calm, for her and those nearby, not wanting to draw attention. “I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.”

After a few moments of holding her and rubbing her back, saying any kind of reassuring shit he could think of, Brett felt the instant Trisha snapped out of her trance.

She slipped her hands around his neck and sighed. “I thought we said no dancing.”

He closed his eyes and breathed for what felt like the first time in ten minutes. “Drastic times,” he muttered under his breath, then drew back to stare down into her face. “You okay?”

“Yes. Sorry. I’m not sure what happened.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “One second I was talking to Cammie and Stacy, then the next I was…elsewhere.”

“Iraq.”

She stiffened but nodded.

“Trisha, you have to know that’s not good.”

“Of course I know it wasn’t good. Iraq was ter—”

“I’m talking about your reaction to my cousin’s little boy. Jonathan grabbed your legs because he wanted to dance.”

She lifted her head and held his stare. “He just caught me off guard, that’s all.” She held up her hand palm down. “See? I’m fine.”

Even though she no longer shook, he knew she was far from fine. “I had hoped this place would work its magic on you. But it hasn’t. You’re getting worse. You know it, and I know it. You need help, Trisha. I know someone—”

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this, Brett?” She cut him off, chin lifting. “I’m fine. I just need some air.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she pulled out of his embrace, turned, and marched away.

Stomach twisting into a tight knot, he watched her disappear from the room. He hadn’t gotten promotions and made it up the ranks in the Marine Corps without knowing which battles to engage, and which to ignore.

The tides had just changed.

He headed to his office to make a phone call. Trisha could claim victory over this battle. He was more interested in winning the war.

****

Three gulps of air. Three gulps of fresh, mountain air were all Trisha needed to quiet her thundering pulse. She wandered out the back, retracing her steps to the gorgeous gazebo still decked out in a dazzling display of white.

“Mind telling me what that was all about?”

Jumping at the sound of her brother’s voice, she slowly turned to face him, pulse thundering out of control. “What are you, a ninja?” she replied, ignoring his question, knowing better than to give information away.

He stepped close and gently grabbed her upper arms. “What happened to you on your last deployment?”

Growing up, Liam had been her confidant. She could tell him anything. Could she tell him this?

Several answers shot through her head, but none of them made it to her mouth. It was just too damn painful. If she talked about the massacre, she’d see it all play out in her head, experience the horror all over again, and God, she’d barely made it through the first time. The nightmares were hard enough to deal with.

So, she straightened her spine and held his gaze. “What happened on yours?”

“Mine?” He blinked and loosened his hold. “We’re not talking about me, Trisha.”

Her chin lifted. “Then we’re not talking about me, either.”

A calculated risk, she knew, to throw out a challenge like that, but she felt fairly certain she’d win.

He dropped his hands and walked to the back of the gazebo where he looked up at the mountain. With any of her other brothers, she would’ve immediately known the outcome. But this was Liam. He always held things close to the vest. And years of running around the world at the drop of a hat playing Navy SEAL, seeing God knows what, doing God knows what, had only honed that skill.

Heart pounding and pounding, she waited quietly, wanting to know what was bothering him, yet hating to have to discuss what haunted her in order to find out.

Just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer, he turned around and leaned his back against a post. “You have a good man.”

Relief shot through her body, and she had all she could do to hold back the soft cry that threatened. God, how she didn’t want to talk about Iraq. She absolutely would rather talk about Brett. She blew out a breath and nodded. “I know.”

“Do you?”

“Uh huh.” She nodded, walking to the railing on his left.

“I hope so, Sis, because it takes a lot to stand by someone who’s broken.”

He sounded as if he was speaking from experience. Trisha’s gaze shot to his, but she couldn’t tell if his words and haunted gaze were about her, or him. Because she wasn’t sure, she just nodded.

For a few heart-stopping seconds, he continued to stare before a slight twitch tugged his lips. “You really engaged to your captain?”

Chapter Fourteen

Darn.
Why did he keep asking her hard questions? She inhaled and shook her head, tired of lying and the weight it added to her exhausted shoulders. “Not exactly,” she replied and rested her rear against the railing.

His eyes narrowed. “Define not exactly.”

“Dad.”

A dawning entered his gaze as he muttered under his breath. Yeah, he was well aware of their over-achieving father’s pushy ways. Liam had been the only brother not to pursue a legal career.

“I was home one day, Liam,
one
dang day from deployment, and he already had me enrolled in law school, interning at his firm, and engaged to one of the junior partners. Figuratively,” she added, pushing from the rail to begin pacing. “It didn’t matter that it wasn’t what I wanted. Didn’t matter that I’d already been accepted at a university here in Colorado and made plans to start this fall.
No.
So, I had to resort to drastic measures, and I…I kind of blurted out I was already engaged to Brett because I knew Dad admired him, and I’d hoped it would keep him off my back until the fall. That I’d just tell him we’d decided to part ways, and
oh…by the way
, I’m not coming back to Texas, I’m staying in Colorado to pursue my own choice of career.”

“So…what happened?”

“Dad,” she replied again. “He wanted to meet with Brett, and I guess, see for himself that we were really engaged. Which, of course, was actually a problem because Brett didn’t even know.”

“Ah, hell, Trish.” He scrubbed a hand down his face.

“I know.” She half-chuckled, half-moaned and leaned against the rail again. “I called here to warn Brett and ask him to meet us at the Lonesome Steer the following day.”

“Near Amarillo?”

“Yeah. You know it?”

He nodded. “Gus is a good man.”

“I know,” she agreed. “He was rather amused by the tale we all spun for Mom and Dad…and Brett.” She laughed at her brother’s quizzical expression. “He showed up at the honky tonk all right but had no clue about our engagement because he hadn’t been home when I’d called. I talked to Finn, who reassured me his brother would help.”

Liam laughed. “Ah, hell.
Something tells me that twin rivalry reared its head.”

“Yep. Within the first few minutes, Brett jumped in, thinking it was a practical joke.” She could still recall how her body had come to life the first time her C.O. looked at her like he wanted to eat her up. “It wasn’t until Mom and Dad left and Finn never showed his face that the captain got a clue.”

Her brother’s chuckle filled the space between them and tugged a smile from her lips. God, it was great to hear him laugh.

“Wish to hell I’d been there to see that.”

“Oh, man, he was pissed.” Trisha shuddered at the memory of her unamused captain when he realized they were really in a fake engagement.

“Well, sometime between then and now the guy fell for you, sis.”

Liam’s statement knocked the wind out of her.

“And you fell just as hard for him.”

Tears filled her eyes and burned her throat as she nodded.

Her brother pushed from the post and gathered her close, resting his chin on her head. “Hold onto him, Trish. Let him in.”

****