Quinn's Woman (26 page)

Rebecca listened quietly. When D.J. finished, she shifted on the sofa so she could touch D.J.’s hand.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

D.J. nodded. “But not surprised.”

Rebecca shrugged. “You have scars. I’ve worked with enough wounded kids to have had an idea about how you got them.” She leaned back into the cushions. “I don’t understand people like that. People who abuse and abandon their children. What makes them do it? Why can’t they see how sick they are and get help? And how dare your mother choose death over staying with you? She could have run.” She frowned. “This kind of information makes me furious.”

“Thanks for caring about me. It means a lot.”

More than a lot, D.J. told herself. It meant everything.

She glanced around at her small living room – the place she’d once thought of as a sanctuary. Now it was little more than the place she paced the nights away. It was cold and dark, even with the sun shining. She had thought if she confessed the truth to her friend, she would find peace. But her heart still ached, and she knew she would never be warm again.

“I was wrong,” she whispered, fighting back tears. “I was wrong not to trust him. I was scared so I lashed out.”

“You made a mistake. We all do. For what it’s worth, Quinn was wrong, too.” Rebecca smiled. “You’re not a bully, D.J. You never were.”

“I’m exactly like my father. I only want to be around people I can control.”

Rebecca laughed. “Give me a break. In this friendship, I’m the strong one, not you.”

D.J. nearly fell over in shock. “What are you saying? You’re a...a...girl.”

“I’m a woman who is content with her life and her place in the world. There isn’t anyone more powerful than that.”

D.J. understood. Rebecca lived her life out of love and hope, while D.J. existed in fear.

She’d spent the past week looking at herself and seeing ugly truths. She’d discovered the dark corners of her soul, and what she found there made her shudder.

“I don’t know how to be different,” she whispered.

“Yes, you do. You’re already changing.” She winked. “Daisy Jane.”

“I can’t believe I told you that.”

“I’m impressed. And I can see why you go by your initials.”

D.J. smiled. “Thanks for being so supportive.”

“I want to do whatever I can to help, but this isn’t about me, is it? It’s about Quinn.”

D.J. didn’t want to think about him. It hurt too much. “He was right there. He said he cared about me. He showed it in everything he did. And I tossed it all back in his face.”

Her eyes burned. She started to blink back the tears, only to remember that she was done hiding behind a facade. She was going to be who she really was, even if that meant facing her demons head-on. She wasn’t going to run anymore.

“I said some horrible things,” she murmured as she brushed away the tears. “He’ll never forgive me.”

He’d probably already forgotten about her. It had been a week. Each day she’d wondered if he would get in touch with her. If he would try to make things right. But he hadn’t. No doubt he didn’t think she was worth the trouble. She couldn’t blame him. He’d talked about finding a match. His match would be someone whole and loving. Not someone like her.

She shrugged. “I’ll get over him.”

“I guess that means you’re not willing to admit you love him.”

It had taken D.J. three days to be able to admit the truth to herself. Now she was about to admit it to someone else. Talk about scary.

She looked at her friend. “I do love him. I know that means the whole ‘getting over’ part is going to take a lot longer.” A lifetime. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and I let him get away.”

“You sure did. Bummer. So you figure he’s long gone, right?”

“Yeah. I thought about getting in touch with Gage and asking him where Quinn went, but –” she swallowed “– I’m too scared.”

“You know Gage is back in Texas, right?”

“Uh-huh. Travis told me.”

Rebecca studied her nails. “Gage left with Kari, and Kevin and Haley are gone, too. Nash is staying, of course. You’d think Quinn would have blown this Popsicle stand, yet he’s still camped out at his hotel. I wonder why.”

D.J.’s heart stood still. Hope filled her. It was scary and unfamiliar, but it was a whole lot better than loss and pain. She stood. “He’s here? He’s in town?”

“Yup. What do you suppose that means?”

D.J. pulled Rebecca to her feet, then hugged her close. “It means I have a chance. Doesn’t it?”

Rebecca straightened and smiled. “I think it means you have a really good one. But a word of advice.” She fingered D.J.’s stained T-shirt. “You haven’t showered in days. You might want to take a second to clean up before you go try to win back your man. And wear something sexy. Guys like that.”

Two hours later D.J. studied herself in the full-length mirror on her closet door. As much as she’d wanted to rush right over to Quinn’s hotel room, she’d taken Rebecca’s advice and showered. Then she’d agonized over what to wear. Now she was ready to leave and not sure if she had the courage to go.

Could she face Quinn and apologize for what she’d done and said? When she thought about some of the things she’d told him, she wanted to hide in a closet for the next twenty years. Except she’d spent the past sixteen years hiding – from her past, from what she was afraid of, from what she’d become. As Quinn had pointed out, she’d cut herself off from life. It was time to change everything.

Quinn was her world. She loved him. If she wanted a chance to prove that, she was going to have to start by seeing him.

She gave herself a once-over and wished she’d asked Rebecca to stay. She wanted another opinion. Did she look sexy or just stupid? Did it matter? She wanted Quinn, and if he wanted her, he was going to have to realize she didn’t do the girl thing very well. But she was willing to learn. Not necessarily for him, but also for herself. She needed to explore the side of herself she’d been denying for so long. But first she had to figure out if Quinn was willing to give her a second chance.

Quinn tossed his T-shirts in the suitcase. He’d waited a week because he’d hoped D.J. would come around and see things as they were. She’d hadn’t and there was no other reason to stay in Glenwood.

Travis had tried to convince him to take a job at the sheriffs office.

While Quinn intended to join the mainstream, he couldn’t do it here. Not with D.J. so close. Knowing she was in the same town, walking the same streets, seeing the same people-it would hurt too much. He’d finally found the one woman he could be with and she wasn’t interested. Life had a hell of a sense of humor.

He crossed to the bathroom and collected his shaving kit. There was still an unopened box of condoms tucked inside. When he’d first met D.J. and had realized how much she turned him on, he’d practically bought out the drugstore’s supply of protection. Optimistic bastard, he thought grimly. Now she was out of his life and all he had was –

A knock at the door made him turn. He dropped the box back into his shaving kit and walked into the bedroom. There was a second knock.

“Coming,” he called and reached for the door handle. When he pulled the door open, he started to speak, then found he couldn’t.

D.J. stood in the hallway. At least he was pretty sure it was her. His eyes saw and his brain registered, but neither body part believed.

She wore a black leather minidress. high heels and nothing else that he could see. Based on how high the hem came and how low the front dipped, he doubted there was anything else. Full, soft curls tumbled down her back. Makeup accentuated wide, frightened eyes. She was gorgeous. A sexual goddess. If she’d come here to seduce him, he was going to have a tough time telling her no.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. After shaking her head, she pushed past him and entered the room.

“I was wrong.” she said, talking quickly. “About everything. You, me, my past. I was an idiot. Worse, I hurt you. I said horrible things and I’m sorry.”

He closed the door. Both wary and intrigued, he folded his arms over his chest. “Go on.”

“I shouldn’t have taunted you that day,” she said, her voice low. She swallowed. “I was scared and angry. What we’d done, what I’d felt – it terrified me. You were right about me living in an emotional plastic bubble. I kept the world at bay because caring to me was the same as dying. What I didn’t see was that living alone was a different kind of death.”

She laced her fingers together in front of her stomach. “You’ve been so patient with me and I don’t know why. I mean, why did you bother? Why didn’t you just walk away?”

“There aren’t many out there like you,” he told her. “You’re tough and vulnerable. Feminine, strong and hell on wheels. How could I resist?”

Some of the fear faded from her eyes. “Really? I thought maybe it was because I don’t mind about your past. I understand what you’ve done and I’m okay with it. You’re a good man. The best. What you did doesn’t change that. I know you’re stronger than me, and better and faster and all those things and it’s okay. You’ll never hurt me.”

At her words, the tightness around his chest eased. He drew in a deep breath and moved close. They were so right for each other, he thought contentedly. She’d finally seen that.

“What are you saying, Daisy Jane?”

“That I agree with what you told me last week. That we’re a match.”

“I was telling you I loved you.”

She smiled then. A bright, pure smile of happiness that nearly blinded him.

“I love you, too. I want to get free of my past so I can have a future with you. If you want me. I mean if you were talking about more than just a –”

He pulled her close and kissed her. Their lips met in a hot, hungry kiss that spoke of too much time apart and a lifetime of possibilities together.

“I was talking about forever,” he said against her mouth. “I want to marry you.” He chuckled. “If for no other reason than the minister is going to be saying your name out loud for the world to hear.”

“I don’t mind,” she said, clinging to him. “Oh, Quinn, if you want you can join my business. We could expand and rescue more kids and maybe take on different projects. We could –”

He silenced her with another kiss. There would be plenty of time for business talk and details later. Right now he just wanted to be with the woman he loved.

“I can’t believe I found you,” he said as he touched the smooth leather over her back.

“I found you, remember? That day in the woods. I captured you.”

He smiled. “Yes, you did. All of me.” He dropped his hands to her hips. “So is there any sleazy lingerie on under this dress?”

“Sorry, no.” She kissed him. “There isn’t any underwear at all.”

He groaned. “You’re my kind of woman.”

Daisy Jane Monroe shivered with pleasure at those words. She’d come a long way toward healing, and she knew that all the pain and fear of her past was finally behind her. She’d learned to love enough to let go, and to hold on.

Quinn’s woman. That was exactly who she wanted to be. He would be her man and together they would love each other for the rest of their lives.