Embattled Home (17 page)

Cheyenne nodded. “Yep. You reach the point that you just say fuck it. And what better time than right now, supported by more people than you ever have been before?”

She was completely right.

“Where were you years ago when I met Derek? I really could have used your input then.”

Laughing, the other woman gave her a one-armed hug before pushing up from the couch. “I was probably dealing with my own Derek. I’m gonna go see what the girls are into.”

Lora watched her go and sagged into the couch.

That’s where Chad found her a few minutes later. He was carrying two bowls of ice cream. “May I join you? I bring treats,” he sing-songed in his deep voice.

Lora scooted over but she needn’t have worried. Chad sat on the other side of the couch with a couple feet of space between then. He handed her one of the bowls. Their fingers brushed for the barest second before he pulled away. Lora looked down at the bowl and the triangular piece sticking out of it. “What is this?”

“Taste it,” he told her, shoving a huge spoonful into his own mouth.

Lora took a small bite of the cream, delighted when she realized it was cinnamon. “Oh, this is good.”

“Mama made the sopapillas. They’re just tortillas baked with cinnamon and sugar, but she’s made them all my life.”

“I’m beginning to see where you get your sweet tooth.”

He grinned at her. “A meal is not complete without some kind of dessert.”

Before long he was scraping his bowl clean and setting it aside. “I hope Cheyenne didn’t make a nuisance of herself.”

Lora shook her head. “No, she didn’t. Actually, she told me some really insightful things. Things that I knew, but needed reaffirmed, you know?”

Chad turned on the cushion a bit, resting his left arm along the back. “She’s not always had an easy time of it. We didn’t like her ex when we met him. Brock and I had known him years ago and he was an ass back then. But we couldn’t tell Cheyenne. She thought she was in love and that she could change him. It didn’t work that way. By the time I came back from overseas, she was dealing with some serious shit. I wasn’t much help to her back then.”

Lora gave him a look. “I think you had your own issues to deal with then.”

He nodded, his eyes glazing over as he stared off into the distance. Lora’s hand twitched and she wanted to offer him comfort. Twisting in the seat, she reached her left hand out to rest on top of his.

Chad jerked in surprise at her touch on his scarred skin, then stilled. His eyes met hers and if Lora had been any other woman, she would have leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. They were close enough and the gently shaded room encouraged the intimacy. But she wasn’t that woman, no matter how much she told herself she wanted to be. Stroking him softly, she pulled away.

The sudden, sharp clink of glass rang through the room. They both turned to look at Brock. He’d moved to the small liquor table a few feet away and was pouring himself another drink, sloshing it over the edge. He must have felt their scrutiny because he looked up. “Oh, sorry, did I interrupt you? I was refilling so that I could watch the rest of the show. Have to say, bro, Cheyenne’s first half was more exciting.”

Chad cocked his head at his brother’s words and Lora thought she saw a hint of anger in the tightening of his expression. She was embarrassed. Brock had been sitting several yards away on the far end of the room, head tipped back on the chair. She’d thought he’d been asleep.

Damn. They’d said some not so nice things about him.

“Why are you so bitter, Brock? You get worse every time I see you.”

The older brother snorted. “Maybe it’s
because
I see you, little brother.”

Lora sucked in a breath at the hurtful words and turned to look at Chad. His expression didn’t change, but she could imagine the hurt he had to be feeling.

“What the hell is your issue with me? We used to be better than this. We used to hang out together and be friends. What changed?”

Brock shook his head.

“Was it because I came back broken? Less of a man than I used to be?”

Brock blinked and seemed a little shocked that Chad believed that. He looked down at the glass in his hand and shook his head again, harder. “You’re not broken,” he said softly.

“Then I wish my brother was around. I’d have liked to have seen him this week.”

Chad pushed to his feet and held his right hand out to Lora. Without a word, she let him help her up out of the deep couch. They walked out of the room without a backward glance, but Chad paused in the hallway.

“I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s usually not so rude.”

“It’s okay. Maybe he has stuff going on in his life too.”

“Hm. Maybe.”

Chad guided her into the kitchen. All four little girls had their heads bent over glittery craft projects and barely looked up to acknowledge them. Mercy did finally, and her eyes drifted over Chad’s lower legs, making Lora wonder if the other girls had been talking.

“Little Mercy has fit into the group like she’s always been here,” Francine gushed, running a hand over her daughter’s mussed hair. “You’ve done a wonderful job raising your little girl, Lora. She’s so polite.”

“Thank you. I appreciate hearing that.”

Cheyenne held a bundle of cloth out to Chad and he folded it under his arm, then caught Lora’s eye. “Would you step out here, please? I have something to show you.”

Lora lifted her brows in surprise, but followed after a last glance at the kitchen. Cheyenne caught her eye and gave her a big wink and a smile. Chad guided her down a hallway and into a mud-slash-laundry room, then out the back door.

Glancing back to make sure she followed, he led her across a wide deck and down a few steps to a flagstone path. Though the surrounding area was rocky and didn’t have a lot of vegetation, Francine had managed to make her backyard into a nice retreat. There were flower beds everywhere just beginning to bud, and bushes lined the smooth path. There was a building a little ways away and that was where Chad led her. As he opened the front doors, Lora realized it was a gazebo housing a huge hot tub. She looked at him in surprise. “I never expected to find this hidden out here.”

“Yeah, it’s camouflaged pretty well.” He handed her the bundle of cloth. “Cheyenne is about your size and she said you could borrow this.”

Lora let the bundle fall open and realized it was a bathing suit. Anxiety clutched her stomach and she automatically shook her head.

Chad took a step closer to her and leaned down, just a bit. “Before you say no, I want you to take a deep breath and know that I would never let anyone hurt you. I promise you I won’t turn around. I give you my word. Harper is on the hill watching the entire area, Flynn is in the barn and Mercy is in the house with Rachel and the family. Everybody is taken care of. You need to take a few minutes for yourself.”

He turned away from her then and gave her his back, standing at the front of the building.

Lora looked at the temptation. The water was steaming. She wondered if it was as hot as it looked. Reaching out, she ran her fingers through the water. Oh, it felt so good. She glanced at Chad’s broad back. She knew for a fact she could strip naked and dance the tango and he would not turn around. He’d given his word. The gazebo was enclosed, the shutters drawn. Tiny little LEDs cast enough light to see by, but that was all. Nobody would see her.

Screw it.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she stripped out of her clothes, dropping them onto a low bench along the wall. Cheyenne’s one piece slid up over her hips easily and fit her surprisingly well. A little gappy in the boob area, but there was nothing to be done for it. She then unwound the ace bandage from her wrist, dropping it on top of the clothes. Crossing to the stairs she slid a foot into the water, moaning at the warmth that welcomed her. Stepping all the way into the tub, she lowered herself into the water and pushed to the side. Shuddering with the sharp temperature but relishing it, she settled into the corner of the tub, her head resting on the back edge.

The heat sank into her bones, chasing away the chill of the past few months. It was the warmest she’d been in as long as she could remember. “This is heavenly, Chad.”

He chuckled quietly but didn’t turn around. “I thought you’d like it. My mother is a soaker too, bubble bath, the whole bit, so my dad built her this a few years ago. She likes to take midnight breaks, when the ranch is completely quiet.”

“Does your dad join her?”

“Mm, sometimes. When she can talk him into it.”

Lora swirled her hand through the water, restless.

“Chad,” she hesitated.

“Yes?”

He turned his head enough that she could see his face in profile, lit from behind by the house lights, but he kept his eyes down on the ground. As he’d promised he would.

“Are we safe here?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he answered firmly. “I wouldn’t have brought you out here if I thought otherwise.”

He faced the house, feet planted. Looking at him from behind, his back seemed so broad, his legs so long. She wanted to explore him, to take her time and touch every square inch of his body.

Lora knew though, that he would never make the first move. It would be up to her to do that.

And she didn’t know if she had the courage.

Cheyenne’s challenging words came back to her, and her resolve solidified.

“Chad?”

“Yes?”

“Can you turn around please?”

He’d been still before, but now it was if he were frozen in time. For several long seconds she didn’t even hear him breathe. But then he swiveled on one boot heel to face her.

Lora sank down into the water until only her shoulders were exposed. His gaze traveled over her as if he could see more, though.

“Would you join me?”

Lora actually heard him swallow from several feet away and it gave her courage that he was nervous.

“I don’t know if that’s such a great idea.”

“Please?”

He took a step forward across the deck, then a few more, until he stood at the side of the tub. “I’ll have to take the prosthetic off,” he admitted.

Lora hadn’t even thought about that. “Okay.” She was struck with something and she grinned. “Want me to turn around?”

She thought she’d been funny but he gave her the strangest look.

“If you keep giving me smiles like that, you can look at anything you want.”

Her laughter faded at the sincerity she saw in his shadowed face and her heart started to thud as his fingers reached for the snaps on his shirt. She was suddenly more fearful than when he’d expected her to get into the tub, but this was an edge-of-your-seat kind of fear. Thrilling. Exciting.

As he shrugged the shirt off his shoulders and dropped it to the bench, he paused for several long seconds. “I don’t want to scare you or rush you into any kind of situation you’re not comfortable with.”

She smiled, appreciating the consideration. “I’m good right now. I’m trying to be more willing to engage and enjoy life.”

He seemed to search her face in the subtle light before reaching for the snap of his jeans. Lora pushed herself back to the opposite side of the tub and rested her head against the cushion, letting her eyes drift closed. Every little sound he made encouraged her to open her eyes, but she didn’t.

“I’m in.”

For a few more seconds she kept her eyes closed just to prove she could before rolling her head up to look at him.

The steaming water hit Chad right at the nipple line. His chest hair had darkened with water. Both of his long arms were stretched along the sides of the tub, much like he’d been sitting on the couch.

“Does the heat of the water bother your burns?” she asked.

He watched her as though he was waiting for an insult or something, a heavy frown on his face. “It does a bit. Not too bad. Bothers my leg more.”

She cocked her head. “Why does it bother your leg more?”

Chad scowled as if he regretted admitting the weakness. “Because I wear the prosthetic all the time, for the most part. The skin of the amputation itself is very sensitive.”

“Is the amputation painful?”

“Not really. Just feels like my leg now.”

Lora wanted to look beneath the surface of the water to try to see the amputation, but that would be rude. Besides, he seemed self-conscious about it or something. It had been seven years since he’d been injured. She would have thought he’d be more comfortable with it by now. But who was she to determine that?

Chad watched the emotions play across Lora’s face. Curiosity was there, but it didn’t seem to be malicious. Just inquisitive. All women were curious before they saw it, but in his experience, the disgust rolled in soon after.

He snorted. They were both hiding. It was ridiculous.

“I, uh, don’t have a very good history showing women my amputation. If I remember right, the last one walked out the door in tears of disgust.”

Lora narrowed her eyes. “Tears of disgust? Really?”

Chad shrugged. “That was how I took it. Things were moving along good until I stripped down and pulled my leg off. She saw it and burst into tears, scrambled out of bed and disappeared.”

Her mouth dropped open and anger sparked in her eyes. “That’s terrible.”

He gave her a self-deprecating smile. “It was her loss. She hadn’t gotten to the good part yet.”

Lora giggled in delight, her cheeks flushing, and it was the most enjoyment he’d ever seen her experience. He chuckled with her. Years later the scene was still vivid in his mind, but over time he’d forced himself to look at the humor in it.

He’d had to.

He took a deep breath. “I’ll show you if you’re interested.”

The enjoyment in her eyes dimmed, but it was replaced by resolve. She nodded.

Before he could change his mind he lifted his hips and raised his left knee out of the water.

Lora moved closer. One long fingered hand lifted, dripping warm water to cup what was left of his calf. She squeezed the tense muscle, then drifted her hand up to his knee and back down. Shaking her head, she tossed him a quizzical look. “I don’t understand why she would react that way. This is not disgusting. It’s not even stomach turning. It’s just skin and muscle and bone.”