Her Last Love (Small Town Hearts Trilogy #1) (8 page)

"Swap out some mac and cheese for the broccoli, and I'm right there with you." Carter closed his menu, setting it off to the side to signal the waitress that they were ready for her to return. Once they had their steaks ordered - rare for him, medium well for her - Carter picked up his Coke and studied Lynn over the rim as he took a drink.  

"Have I told you that you look great tonight?" he asked as he set he glass back on the table.   

"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again." She grinned at him.

"Well, you look great. Civilian life seems to be agreeing with you."   

"Much more than I thought it would." Lynn nodded. "But I'm settling in nicely. I’m into a good routine at work, and the house is coming along. I mean, I'm sleeping on an air mattress on the floor until my household goods and furniture arrive next week, but I can live with that. The walls are painted, and I've found some odds and ends to liven the place up until the rest of my things are here."   

"Sounds like things are falling into place for you."   

"They are. I'll feel more at home once I have my stuff, but for the most part, I'm comfortable with the way things have been going for me since I've been back." She lifted the straw in her glass and took a sip of the sweet tea she'd ordered. Her gaze back on Carter, she used the straw to shift the ice in her glass. "How are things with you? The boys are well?"   

"Things are getting better." He pushed his own glass around on the table in front of him. "Now that I know that things are moving forward with the divorce, I'm not living in limbo anymore. The boys are taking it okay, I guess. Neither of them has said much about it either way."   

"They'll be okay, as long as they realize you're there for them if they want to talk about things." She paused. "It's none of my business, but how did Hillary take it?"   

"About like you'd think. She screamed, cried, threw things."  

"Threw things?"   

"Yep. Let's see, there was a half-full drinking glass, a small crystal bowl.....oh, and some figurine she had that is now in pieces in her trash can. All aimed at my head. I’ve never been more thankful that I've got quick reflexes. The wall behind me wasn't so lucky."   

"Wow."   

"Yeah," he acknowledged. "When I went over there to tell her, I didn't expect it to go great, but I thought it would be better than it was. I mean, we have been separated and living apart for six months. And despite what felt like endless hours of counseling, we were making no progress at reconciliation. I wouldn't have thought she would be so surprised when I told her that I had filed for divorce." He sighed, looking around the room. The decor was all-American, with sports equipment and jerseys from local school teams, funny signs, and movie memorabilia on the walls.    

"Like I said, it's none of my business, but if you want to talk, I can listen." Lynn gave him a small smile.   

"I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, let's not let talk of divorce and soon-to-be ex-wives ruin the night."   

"Okay."   

The waitress came back at that moment with their meals. The steaks were cooked to perfection, the baked potatoes were dripping with melted butter topped with white clouds of sour cream. Soft dinner rolls, large and golden brown sat next to broccoli and mac and cheese. After telling them to let her know if they needed anything and to enjoy their meal, the waitress disappeared again.   

"This looks great," Lynn commented, as she looked over her plate, taking in the delicious smells.   

"Bet it tastes great too," Carter replied, reaching for the steak sauce. "We'd better get to eating if we're going to make the movie, though."   

The two chatted as they made their way through dinner.  Lynn's butterflies had long since vanished, and she felt more at ease than she would have thought possible earlier in the day. Once they'd cleaned their plates and paid the bill, leaving a generous tip for their waitress, they headed to the movie theater.  Since it was close by, they decided to walk and enjoy the cool autumn evening. Almost timidly, Carter reached for her hand, seeking permission to hold it as they walked. Lynn laced her fingers with his and felt her heartbeat kick up a notch at the feel of their clasped hands.    

When they reached the entrance to the theater, he opened the door for her, and Lynn was immediately hit with the scent of buttery popcorn. Even though she'd just eaten, she took a deep breath, appreciating the smell.   

"Thought we'd see Captain Phillips." He followed her through the door and reached for her hand again, a little more confident this time.  

"I've been wanting to see it!" Lynn exclaimed. "It’s been so long since we’ve done this, going to the movies together. Do you remember going to see the second Jurassic Park? You know, I still blame you for getting me hooked on those movies."   

"You love them and you know it.” Carter laughed as he paid for the tickets. “Speaking of those, I heard they're making a new one. We’ll have to see it when it comes out.” He placed his hand at the small of her back, guided her over to the concession stand, where he selected Reece's pieces for himself, Junior Mints for her, and drinks for them both.    

"You remembered my candy?" Lynn asked in disbelief.   

"Of course." He smiled down at her. "Want popcorn too?"   

"No, I'm still full from dinner, but thanks anyway."   

After paying for their snacks, they headed further into the theater. After they found the screen they were looking for, they took seats halfway up in the middle. Once they settled into their chairs, Carter reached for Lynn's hand once more, linking his fingers with hers and bringing it to his lips to press them to her knuckles.   

"If I forget to tell you later," she whispered, smiling. "Tonight was great." The theater lights went down, and the previews began to play on the big screen, leaving no more opportunities to talk.    

Later that night, after the movie was over, they spent the drive home talking about the flick. They were excited to discuss their favorite parts and sequences, the CGI effects, and how neither of them could wait for some upcoming movies from the previews. Still chatting when they pulled into Lynn's driveway, Carter cut the ignition, came around to help her down from the truck and walked her to her door. When he slid his strong fingers to the back of her neck, and stroked her cheek with his thumb, she looked into his eyes. The butterflies returned full-force as he lowered his head and slid his lips softly across hers. She could hear her heart thundering in her ears, could feel it pounding in her chest, as she gripped his arms when the kiss went deeper. After he released her and said a whispered 'good night', Lynn went inside and quietly closed the door. As she leaned against it, tried to steady her pulse rate, she understood then and there that she was in trouble. Because there was no way she was going to be able to resist Carter Mathis this time around.  

6

Bonfires on cool autumn evenings in Kentucky were a tradition as time-honored as an evergreen tree at Christmas. The beer was cold, the fire was hot, and the required fare of hot dogs and marshmallows to cook over the flames were in high demand. Adults sat around the fire, seated in lawn chairs or on old blankets spread on the ground, reminiscing and laughing at the stories they told about each other from the old days.   

The children rarely sat at all, opting instead to run and chase each other in games of hide and seek in the dark or ghost hunters. The squeals and giggles punctuated the air when a hider or ghost was discovered, then the game would begin again. Every so often, a child would wander back to the fire to have a scrape tended, to get a drink, or to stack a melty s'more with its marshmallow still gooey from the heat of the fire. Once their needs met, however, they were off again, enjoying the relative freedom of a bonfire night.  

Lynn had missed these nights more than she realized. She looked around at her friends, their relaxed, smiling faces all glowing orange from the crackling flames not far from their feet. To her right, Carter was sitting in the chair next to hers. At the moment, he slouched in his seat, with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, laughing and gesturing with his beer bottle as he chatted with his buddy Kyle. Judging from the conversation, it seemed a guy they both worked with had tried to pull a prank that got out of hand, with both the prank and shift supervisor’s reaction amusing the men. Lynn smiled and let the sounds of her friends surround her as she breathed in the heady smell of wood smoke. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d relaxed this much, had been this content.    

"Hey Lynn, do remember Lindsey Reeves? She was a year behind us in school.” Kari, sitting to her left, asked. 

"Yeah, I think so. Um, petite brunette, cheerleader type, lots of teeth?"  

"That's her. She came into the cafe the other day for lunch with a couple of her cronies from school. They were asking about you, said they had heard you were back in town."  

"Why does she care? We were never friends, even in school. Her crowd was much too... bitchy for my tastes."   

"Oh, who the hell knows? That chick is like gossip central and feels the need to have her nose in everyone's business." Kari wrinkled her own nose before taking a swig from the bottled wine cooler she held.   

"I know why she's asking around," Bethany chimed in from Kari's other side.  

"Really?" Kari looked at her friend. "How?"  

"She came into the library and started asking me questions about Lynn. And Carter too," she added, dropping her voice. "Said she'd heard Carter had separated from the bitch from hell - my words, not hers - and wondered if he was seeing anyone at the moment. Threw in there that she had also heard Lynn was back in town so she was curious."  

"Curious my ass." Kari snorted. "She's always had a little thing for Carter and wanted to see if the path was clear for her to go get him. What did you tell her?"  

"Nothing. As soon as I saw her coming in the door, I sent Melissa - you guys remember the children's librarian, right? - a text asking her to give a rescue call. Melissa's always had good timing and that particular moment was when the library phone rang." She grinned as her friends laughed. "So I excused myself, answered the phone and by the time the call with my 'patron' had finished, she’d decided to leave."  

Lynn laughed along with her friends, took a sip from the bottle she held, and let her thoughts drift again as she watched the flames flicker and leap in front of her.   

“You okay?” Carter asked, placing a hand on her arm as he pulled her back from her reverie.  

“Yeah, I’m fine.” When she smiled, he gave her an odd expression. It was so quick it was almost as if she imagined it, then he smiled back at her.  

"Let's take a walk." Carter pushed himself out of his chair and held out his hand for hers. "I need to stretch my legs, and I want you to myself for a bit."  

"All right. We'll be back in a little while." Lynn looked at Kari and Bethany as she set her bottle on the ground next to her chair. 

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Kari toasted her with her own bottle and gave her an exaggerated wink before giving in to a quick burst of laughter.  

"You're a funny girl, Kari Nelson." Lynn gave a quick laugh before falling into step with Carter.  

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes. With the firelight behind them and darkness in full swing, they took that time for their eyes to adjust to the surrounding area. Trees surrounded the clearing where the bonfire burned, and the dry leaves crunched every so often as animals scurried around in the dark. The clear sky made for a chilly night, but the lack of any real clouds made for one beautiful view of the bright stars that twinkled against their dark canvas.  

"So, how are things going at work?" Carter asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't be tempted to reach for hers again. "Everything going okay there?"  

"Things are going well," she replied, mirroring his movements. "There's a lot to learn in a hospital, obviously. But the people I work with are really nice, and for the most part don't mind me asking a ton of questions. It's weird for me, you know? I went from a job that I could do with my eyes closed, and now I’ve started over with something brand new. I’m at the bottom of the pecking order, which feels a little bit weird after being an officer. It's just going to take some time to get into a good groove."  

"Makes sense. It was a bit of a rough transition for me, going from basically being part of a floating city on an aircraft carrier, to driving a semi and hauling coal. So, I get it. Takes a while to get comfortable in a new place."  

They walked in silence for a bit longer, the question that had been gnawing at Carter itching to break free. He decided not to put it off any longer.   

"Lynn, why did you leave the military?" he asked at last. "You've skirted around it before, not giving a reason. I was sure you were going to make a career of it. What happened?"  

"Carter, really, I don't --"  

"No, Lynn. It's time to put it out there. It's not anything good, or you wouldn't be so reluctant to talk about it. But pushing it to the back burner gives it that much more power over you. So spill it, tell me what happened."  

Lynn hesitated, knowing that once the whole sordid story was out there that there would be no bringing it back. She knew she had nothing to be ashamed of, but she was just the same.  

"Fine. I'll tell you, but I haven't told anyone here - family or friends - the whole story. This stays between us unless I say otherwise, got it?"  

"Okay."  

"No, I need you to promise me. I remember how you are about honoring your promises."  

"Yes, I promise. Now what the hell happened?"  

"Okay." Lynn took a deep breath. "About a year or so ago, I met a guy at an officer's ball through a mutual friend. We hit it off right away. It seemed that we had a lot in common; we were both lieutenants, we had a lot of mutual interests and hobbies. So we started dating, and it seemed like it had the potential to get pretty serious. We both had quite a bit of time left on our tours in Germany, and he wanted to move in together. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that step so soon, and besides that fact, if we were to move in together, we'd have to get a place off-post and those were hard to come by. Anyway, when I told him these things, he seemed fine with it. But he kept pushing at me, subtle at first, and then a little harder. He started dropping hints and saying things, little comments here and there meant to try to persuade me into changing my mind, to come around and agree his way of thinking was right. You see, at this point, we hadn't even slept together."  

"And how far into the relationship was this?"  

"Two months, maybe three. To be fair, I had told him in the beginning that until I felt that it was serious enough for me to think that it might be something permanent, I wasn't going to sleep with him. In hindsight, he seemed to take this as a challenge, or a goal to see how long it took to wear me down to where I'd give in. So, when he kept pushing me about moving in together, I had had enough and told him no. That I didn't want to move into together, I didn't want to sleep with him, and at that point I didn’t want to date him anymore." She shrugged her shoulders inside her heavy jacket and sighed. "That's when he attacked me."  

Carter's abrupt stop had Lynn turning back to him from a few feet away.  

"You want to run that by me again?" Carter’s voice was low and dangerous. 

"You heard me right. He attacked me. He started out grabbing me by my arms and shaking me, screaming about how he was going to get something out of this relationship one way or another. Among other things. And the next thing I knew he had slammed me up against the wall, threw me to the floor, punched me."  

"He didn't --"  

"No, he didn't rape me, but he would have tried if my neighbor - an MP in my unit that I trusted - hadn't had a spare key to get in when he heard me screaming. As it was, I ended up with a pretty severe concussion, three fractured ribs, a bruised spleen and kidney, a black eye, and an assortment of other bruises. I ended up staying in the hospital a couple of days to monitor the concussion and to watch for internal bleeding."  

Carter's eyes had narrowed as she had narrated the events and the injuries that came from it. They were now icy slits in a face, a body, that had gone to stone. His hands were no longer in his coat pockets, but fisted at his side, knuckles white.  

"Please, 
please 
tell me you pressed charges against the son of a bitch."  

"I didn't -- ,"  

"I don't believe this." He whirled around to stomp off some of his fury in an angry pace. "You let him get away with using you as a punching bag? Why would you do that? What happened to that fierce, stubborn girl I knew? She would have fought back."  

"I tried, Carter, but --"  

"And you let the sorry bastard get away with it? That is unbelievable to me! There is no way you could have loved him that much to let him do that to you and get away with it! God, Lynn!" Carter's voice had risen as he continued to pace.  

"If you'd just let me explain --"  

"There is no explanation you can give me that will ever make me think that this was okay. That what he did to you was in any way forgivable." He abruptly stopped his pacing to stand in front of her, hands running through hair on a head that looked down between his feet. Then, lacing his fingers together along the back of his neck, he looked skyward and closed his eyes. "I can't stand here and talk about this right now. If I knew where this guy was, I'd find him and repay the favor, I'm that pissed off. I’m going to head home. I'll talk to you later."  

Lynn, stunned, stood in silence as Carter disappeared into the dark, tears streaming down her face. She took a minute to wipe her face and pull herself together before she, too, went to make her excuses and head home.  

* * *  

The windows in the houses were dark, and the neighborhood was well asleep when Carter pulled his truck into Lynn's driveway a few hours later.  Hell, he considered the fact that she might even be asleep, before seeing the light turn on in the living room window. He felt bad coming by so late, but he had to see her, talk to her. Because he knew there was no way there was going to be any sleeping tonight without doing so. He had too many emotions and thoughts churning through his system for him to be able to relax, much less sleep. So, seeing her open the front door, he gathered himself and stepped from the truck.  

She looked so small and vulnerable to him, standing in the doorway under the porch light, with her arms wrapped around her middle. He could tell by the circles under her eyes as he approached that she had not only not slept, but that she'd done some crying as well. Guilt crept in since he knew at least some of those tears were on him. With his hands in the front pocket of his jeans, his shoulders hunched, he stopped at her front door and took a deep breath.  

"I wanted to talk to you, if it's okay."  

Without a word, she nodded as she stepped aside to allow him into the house.    

"Please have a seat." She gestured to the couch. "Um, would you like something to drink? Sweet tea? Coffee?"  

"Coffee, if it's not too much trouble."  

"All right. I'll be back in a minute."  

Carter stayed in the living room, understanding that Lynn needed the few minutes making coffee required to bolster herself. He looked around the room, seeing so much of her personality on the walls and in the furniture. Smooth wooden floors were planks made of thin, pale ash in varying shades. A distressed, dark gray coffee table, sitting on a knobby silver area rug, held a silver tray with white pillar candles in glass domes. The cream colored couch and chairs, with throw pillows and blankets in various shades of cream and gray, curved around it to create a cozy place to sit and chat with visitors. A silver light fixture threw light onto white walls that held large black and white photographs, encased in heavy black frames.