Part 6 (1/2)
”I picked ticks off him and used my comb to get snarls out of his fur and he played with me and kept me company.”
This time her smile was genuine, a small, sweet smile, as she talked about the dog. Casey wanted to crowd her close and put his arms around her and protect her forever. The urge was so strong, he sounded gruff as he asked, ”Why did you stay in a park, Emma?”
”There was nowhere else to stay. I used the money I had a and your money a to pay for my bus fare to Chicago, and for food. After I got there, I couldn't get a job because I couldn't give a place of residence, and I couldn't get a place of residence without a job reference. I was afraid if I went to any of the shelters, they'd contact my family and...send me back home.”
Casey scrubbed at his face. Emma was twenty-five now, but he saw her as she'd been when she left a young, bruised, scared and lonely. What she'd gone through was worse than he'd suspected, worse than he'd ever imagined. He'd held on to the belief that she knew someone, that she'd had someone to take care of her. But she'd been all alone. Vulnerable. And it hurt to know that.
”I'm not sure what would have eventually happened. But then one day B.B. got really sick. He'd eaten something bad and he was dehydrated, weak. He could barely walk. I was so afraid that I'd lose him, I chanced going to the vet clinic that I'd seen not far from the park. That's where I met Parker Devaughn and his son, Damon.”
She turned to B.B. and hugged him close. Several seconds pa.s.sed, and Casey knew she was weighing her words. ”It took almost a week before B.B. was healthy again. I hung out there, staying by his side as much as they'd let me.”
The images flooding his mind were too agonizing to bear. ”What happened?”
”They ... figured out my situation when I couldn't pay the bill and offered to let me work it off instead.”
”They realized that you were homeless?” Casey wanted to hear all the details about where she'd slept, how she'd stayed safe. When the dog was sick, she'd been alone more than ever.
But one thought kept overriding all others. How bad had it been for her in Buckhorn that she'd rather sleep alone in a park with no one for company except an abandoned dog? What the h.e.l.l had happened to make her run away?
Emma gave a small nod. ”I couldn't leave B.B. and they wouldn't let me have him without explaining. I was afraid they'd turn me in and send me back home. But when I told them everything, they surprised me.”
”Everything?”
She glanced at him, then away. Skipping his question, she said, ”They took me in and they've treated me like family ever since. Parker even helped me to get my G.E.D. and to find a job I love. Life now is...great.”
She'd left out everything painful, either to spare him or because she couldn't bear to talk about it. Casey didn't know which, and neither was acceptable. He suddenly wanted her to be his friend again, that young girl with the enormous soft eyes always filled with invitation. The girl who always came to him with open admiration and her heart on her sleeve. The girl who'd wanted him a and only him.
His decisions, his feelings for her back then, had seemed so simple and straightforward. He'd liked controlling things, only letting her so close, giving her only as much as he wanted and holding back everything else.
Or so he'd thought.
But somehow Emma had crawled under his skin and into his head, his heart. He hadn't known until she was gone that she'd taken more than he'd ever meant to give her. He hadn't known until she was gone, and a big piece of him was missing. Being apart from her while becoming a man hadn't changed how he felt. It had only complicated it.
Disturbed by his reaction to her, he teased her by tugging on a lock of her hair. ”That story is so full of holes I could use it for a sieve.”
”No, I've told you everything that's important.”
”Em...”
”Thanks to Parker and Damon, I did fine,” she insisted. She smiled a little, and her eyes glinted with humor. ”In fact, I might owe them even more than I owe you.”
Annoyance fought with tenderness, making his voice gruff. ”You don't owe me a d.a.m.n thing and you know it.”
”I knew you probably felt that way.” She shook her head, still smiling in that small, tantalizing way that made him want to lick her mouth. ”That's one of the things that always made you so special, Casey.”
Hearing her say such a thing took some of the edge off his urgency. He liked thinking that he'd been special to her, because she'd certainly been special to him. He just hadn't known it until it was too late.
Acting on impulse, he took her hand. ”Have breakfast with me tomorrow. We can catch up on old times and you can fill me in on the pieces you're leaving out right now.”
She gave a shrug of apology. ”I can't. I'm going to the hospital first thing.”
He'd almost forgotten about her father and felt like an a.s.s because of it. It surprised him that she'd return to see the man who'd run her off, but he supposed time could heal those wounds. And Dell wasn't in the best of health. ”We can make it dinner.”
She closed her eyes on a sigh of weariness. ”I don't think so, Casey.”
Her rejection struck him like a blow. ”I'm special,” he asked, ”but not special enough to share a meal with?”
She swiveled her head toward him. ”I'm sorry-”
In an instant, his temper snapped. ”Will you quit saying that!”
She flipped her hair back and her eyes flashed. ”Don't yell at me.”
”Then quit apologizing.” And in a mumble, ”You always did apologize too much.”
B.B. let out a low warning growl, breaking the flow of anger. Emma turned to the big dog and rubbed his muzzle. In a calmer tone, she said, ”I can't make any plans because I don't know what my schedule will be, or how much free time I'll have.”
And she wasn't sleeping alone.
Casey cursed softly, but he couldn't blame Devaughn. If he had Emma warming his bed, no way would he let her out with another man.
He wouldn't give up, but he would slow it down. He'd been her friend once, maybe her only friend in Buckhorn. He'd build on that. He'd give her time to breathe, to get used to him again.
Until Emma got the water pump fixed, she'd need transportation to the hospital. He'd be happy to oblige, to give her a helping hand.
One thing was certain, before she took off this time he'd have all his questions answered. He'd be d.a.m.ned if he'd let her sneak out on him a second time.
CHAPTER FOUR.
AS IF FROM A DISTANCE, Emma heard the knock on the thin motel-room door. She forced her head from the flat, overstarched pillow and glanced at the glowing face of the clock. It was barely six-thirty and her body remained limp with the heaviness of sleep. She'd only been in bed five hours.
After Damon had finally returned and they'd transferred everything from her car to Casey's and gotten to the Cross Roads Motel, it had been well past one o'clock. She hadn't unpacked, had only pulled off her shoes, jeans, bra and sweats.h.i.+rt, and dropped into the bed in a tee and panties. She'd been so exhausted, both in body and spirit, that thoughts of food or a shower disintegrated beneath tiredness.
Why would anyone be calling on her this early?
B.B. snuffled around and let out a warning woof, but Emma patted him and he resettled with a modic.u.m of grumbling and growling. Stretched on his side, he took up more than his fair share of the bed. ”It's okay, boy. I'll be right back.”
Probably Mrs. Reider, she thought, ready with a complaint of some kind, though Emma couldn't imagine what it might be. They'd kept very quiet coming in last night and hadn't disturbed anyone as far as she knew.
B.B. was atop the covers, so Emma grabbed the bedspread that had gotten pushed to the bottom of the bed. She halfheartedly wrapped it around herself and let it drag on the floor.
Without turning on a light, she padded barefoot to the door, turned the cheap lock, and swung it open. The room had been dark with the heavy drapes drawn, but now she had to lift a hand to s.h.i.+eld her eyes against the red glow of a rising sun. She blinked twice before her bleary eyes could focus.
And there stood Casey.
His powerful body lounged against the door frame, silhouetted by a golden halo. In the daylight, he looked more devastatingly handsome than ever. Confusion washed over Emma and she stared, starting at Casey's feet and working her way up.