Cain's Salvation (Passion in Paradise - The Men of the McKinnon Sisters) (8 page)

Staring out his windshield as he sat in parking
lot of the I Don’t Care Café, Cain Turner decided that he needed to have his
head examined for what he was about to do.

Hadn’t he convinced himself that staying
away
from Faith was the only way to go?  He was supposed to be
avoiding any run-ins with her, not waylaying her in a sneak attack of his own
making.  How in the fuck had he allowed Honor to convince him to do
this?  Closing his eyes, his conscience whispered in his ear.

Because you love Faith, you dickless
wonder. This may well be your last fucking chance!

No shit, he thought.  This was all
a disaster of his own making and he could only blame himself for the fucking
mess he’d made of his life.  When he’d mailed that goddamn letter six
months ago, he’d been in a dark place, no good to anyone at all.  And not
much had changed. 

He still wasn’t much use to anybody at
all in his present condition.  The difference was that after talking to
Honor, he wanted to be.  He wanted to be a better man for Faith.

And he had to start somewhere, right?

If he knew the woman he’d fallen in love
with at all, he understood that she’d be livid right now.  She hated
having her hand forced, and while she was well intentioned, that’s what Faith’s
sister had essentially done.  He and Honor were unfairly sabotaging Faith
on the woman’s own goddamn turf.  He hardly thought his girl would thank
him for that.  It was more likely that she’d cut off his balls.

He could also recognize that left to her
own devices, Faith would probably happily dodge seeing him for the rest of her
natural life.  So, while he didn’t want to crowd her, he couldn’t afford
to give her too much space if he ever hoped to undo some of the damage he’d
done.  As the afternoon had worn on and he’d turned things over in his
mind, he could now say that he truly did want to work things out. 

He wanted the woman he loved back in his
arms.

He suffered no grand illusions that
she’d simply fall back into his arms and forgive him.  He wasn’t a
complete idiot.  Close, but not quite.  No, it was going to take hard
work on his part, quite possibly the hardest labor that he’d ever done in his
life.  It was going to be a labor of love, though. 

He even had a vague battle plan that had
formed during his day.

He was going to do what he’d done when
they first dated.  He’d let her run the show at her own pace until he
couldn’t bear to allow her to run it anymore.  He owed her that
much.  Fuck, he owed her a hell of a lot more than that.  Then, he’d
beg.  He’d go to his knees, if necessary. 

He’d do whatever it took.

Because the inevitable conclusion he’d
reached this afternoon was that he didn’t want to live without Faith in his
life.

Anxiously looking in the rearview
mirror, he smoothed a hand over his freshly shaven jaw.  He’d cleaned up
this afternoon. For the first time since he’d returned to the States, he’d
visited a barber.  He’d driven two towns over to avoid seeing anyone he
knew, but thanks to the guy’s scissors, he no longer looked like a reject from
Hell.  His scars still stood out against his tanned skin, but at least he
looked civilized.  He’d even stopped and picked up a couple of pair of
jeans that didn’t sag on his waist.  He’d lost so much weight that not
even the beer he drank like it was a fifth food group had made a dent.

He was going to work on it.  She
deserved a lot more than a talking skeleton.

“Hey, when you get through primping, get
inside.  I’d like to have you safely in the back of the bar before my
sister gets here.  I really don’t feel like cleaning up after another
brawl.  I’m betting your brother won’t be so willing to help me this time
if it’s my sister kicking your ass,” an irritated voice yelled outside his
truck window followed by a sharp rap against the truck door.

Startled, Cain gripped the steering
wheel and looked over his shoulder.  There was a willowy woman with blond,
purple and pink-streaked hair facing the restaurant.  She tapped one
stiletto shod heel against the pavement as she adjusted her short denim
skirt.  Who in the hell?  That sure the hell wasn’t Honor.  He knew
it wasn’t Harmony; the woman was too tall.  It sure the fuck wasn’t his
Faith.

That only left…

“Patience?” he asked as he shoved open
the door of his black Dodge Ram.

Turning to glare at him over her
shoulder, the woman’s lips pursed.  “No, asshole.  It’s the Easter
Bunny.”

“Why the hell are hanks of your hair
purple and…is that
pink
?” he asked, cocking his head as the fading sun
cast light on her dyed head.

“Really?” she snorted, her pert nose
wrinkling in disgust.  “That’s what you want to talk about?  My
fashion choices?” she asked, perching one hand on her hip.

“They’re kinda hard to miss,” he
mumbled, slamming his door and ambling toward her.  Evidently more than
just his relationship status had changed while he’d been away from
Paradise.  A woman streaking her hair to match all the colors of the
rainbow was apparently en vogue out here in the sticks.  Who knew?

“I’m expressing my individuality. 
What’s your excuse?” she asked, looking him up and down and shaking her
head.  “At least you cleaned up.  From what Honor told us, she
indicated that you looked like something we’d find out in the bush when she saw
you this morning.”

“I got a haircut,” Cain replied,
self-consciously lifting a hand to his shortened hair.  “I didn’t want to
scare the customers away.”

Eyeing him critically, Patience frowned
and crossed her arms over her ample bosom.  “Well, you’ve lost way too
much weight.  Baby Sis was right about that.  C’mon, I guess.” 
She jerked her head toward the door.  “Honor said Aunt Orla left you a plate
in the kitchen.  I’ll feed you while you fill out your paperwork. 
Like I said, I wanna get all that done before Faith gets here.  The
further I keep you away from her tonight, the better.”

Cain followed her inside the kitchen of
the café.  “Patience, I really don’t expect Honor or any of you girls to
pay me for this.  I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

“Your food is there on the stove.” 
She gestured toward the industrial steel oven in the corner as she stomped into
the office off the kitchen and grabbed a slim packet of forms off the
desk.  Returning to the table in the center of the room that Honor used to
roll out dough, she slammed the papers down and dropped a pen on top of
them.  “Listen, for the record, I don’t like this, Cain.”

“Didn’t figure you would,” he replied
with a sigh, carrying the heaping plate of chicken and dumplings to the table
where she stood.  “If it helps, I almost didn’t come at all.”

Raising an eyebrow, Patience lifted her
chin.  “Why did you?”

“I’m not a coward,” he answered
softly.  “For a month, I’ve been doing a really good impression of one,
but at heart, I’m not.  Honor reminded me of that this morning.”

“So, why not go be brave someplace far,
far away from here?” Patience snapped, her seawater blue eyes flashing
dangerously.

“This is where Faith is,” he stated
simply, spearing one of the dumplings with his fork.  He hadn’t seen food
that smelled this good in over a year.  His stomach rumbled its agreement.

“Uh huh.  Faith has always been here. 
She was certainly here six months ago when you sent a letter that nearly
crippled her.  She was even here a month ago when you got back to
town.  Bottom line, my sister hadn’t gone anywhere.  What’s changed
now?”

“An old friend reminded me of the man I
used to be,” he replied honestly, lifting a bite to his lips and chewing slowly
as he felt Patience’s gaze silently assessing him.  He didn’t blame
her.  If a woman had put Abel through the hell he’d inflicted on Faith,
he’d be killin’ mad.  He’d earned every ounce of her distrust and anger.

“Yeah, Honor’s good at that kind of
thing,” Faith offered reluctantly, tapping her bright pink nails against the
metal table.

“She is,” Cain agreed, purposefully
keeping mostly quiet as he plowed his way through the full platter of
food.  Surprisingly, he was able to eat it all in minutes while Patience
stood watching him.  He guessed she was plotting fifty ways to kill him
and make it look like an accident.  That’s how this sister worked. 
She was vengeful.  Oh, she was syrupy sweet on the outside, but Patience
had a core of pure fire.  Protective of those she loved, she’d gut a man
without giving it much consideration at all if she thought it warranted. 
She was vicious like that.

He knew he’d definitely made that cut with
her.

Wiping his mouth with a napkin when he’d
finished, he cleared his throat and looked at her.  “Say what you need to
say, Patience,” he invited softly.  “It’s not like you to hold back.”

“You served our country,” she replied
stiffly.  “In some ways to some folks, you’re a hero.  Oh, not
my
hero, mind you, but to some, you’re as close to sacred as it gets.”

“I’m nobody’s version of a hero,
munchkin.  If I am, they need to get glasses,” he mumbled, flushing.

“I actually agree with you on
that.  I do, however, respect that you served our nation.  That took
a fair amount of guts.  So, because of that, I’ll do you the favor of
bein’ completely honest here.  I keep a gun behind the bar, Cain.  If
you so much as make Faith tear up in my presence, I’m gonna pull it out and put
us all out of the misery you created.  I’m not gonna kill you, of course,”
she scoffed mildly, lifting a hand to study her manicure.  “I’m just gonna
put a bullet some place that’ll hurt a whole lot.  You know, the kind of
wound that’ll make you think of
me
every time you move.”

“Fair enough.” He inclined his head
toward her in agreement.  A bullet was no less than he deserved from the
McKinnon family.

“No,” she snorted.  “Fair would be
if I got a ringside seat to watch Faith claw your eyeballs out of your eye
sockets.  I’d consider
that
fair, cowboy.”  Shaking her head,
she lifted her eyes to the ceiling.  “You know, though, for myself, I
guess I should thank you.”

“Thank me?” Cain’s jaw dropped as he stared
at the young woman across from him.

“Uh huh.  You, Cain, reminded me
why the hell I stay away from all that love and happily ever after
bullshit.  It’s a hoax.  Or, at least a curse.  I watched
Harmony fall in love with a rat bastard that left her high and dry with a baby
as a parting gift.  I’ve watched Honor actively avoid any deep commitment
because of what happened to her.  With Faith, I started to think there was
something to all that lovey dovey crap.  She was
happy
– always
smiling and shit.  She fucking glowed.  Then, she got a letter from
you and all the lights went out.”  Patience snapped her fingers.  “It
was that fast, man. I think Faith and I realized at about the same moment that
it was all a fantasy that she’d been livin’ in.  I decided right then and
there, that I didn’t want shit to do with
love
because I
never
wanna look like she did that day.  So, thank you, for showing me the truth
of things.  While you fucking butchered my sister’s heart, you taught me a
valuable lesson I’ll never forget.”

Cain’s eyes were wide by the time
Patience finished talking.  He’d wondered if things could get any worse,
and it seemed they could.  Not only had he hurt the woman he loved more
than anything on Earth, but he’d also soured her sister to even the possibility
of love.  “Patience, no,” he denied, automatically shaking his head. 

“Fill out the forms, Cain,” Patience
ordered him, her voice cold as she cut him off with a look of pure
malice.  “I’ve said everything to you that I’ve got to say.  I’ll be
out front when you’re ready to start.”

Watching as the younger woman walked out
the door without a backward glance, he sagged against the table. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck! 

Now what?

He’d wrecked Faith’s world.  He’d
destroyed Patience’s belief in love.  He’d put Honor in a horrible
position.  God only knew what sins he’d committed against Harmony. 

And he didn’t have the first clue how to
fix any of it.

He never thought that Afghanistan would
look
good
to him, but as he stood in the kitchen he realized that he’d
had a fighting chance against the enemies there.

Here, the biggest enemy he had was
himself.

Four hours later, Cain Turner was aware
that he’d been wrong.   War wasn’t hell.

No, hell was right here all around him.

Hell was loving a woman that couldn’t
bear to look at you.  Hell was being close enough to touch her… to smell
her… and being frozen in place, terrified to approach her.

Hell was a device all of his own making.

Following Faith’s fluid, graceful
movements as she circulated through the bar, smiling and delivering drinks, he
shifted uncomfortably in his chair by the door.  His body had reacted
predictably to seeing her again.  Even in a bar packed with drinkers
looking for a good time, his cock had leapt to life at the sight of her.

She was even more gorgeous than the day
he left her.  Her body was more slender and her face a little more
angular, but none of that detracted from her innate beauty.  Her toned
legs still had those supple muscles he loved to explore while they wrapped
around his waist and her tiny waist only accentuated the firm globes of her
breasts. 

Licking his lips, he fingered his
sweating glass of sweet tea as he ogled Faith’s body.  Clad in a short
pair of denim shorts and a scooped neck pink t-shirt that offered a man a
tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage if he cared to look, she made his mouth
water.  Every now and then, she’d bend over to pick something up from the
floor and the curve of her ass would just peek at him from under her shorts.

It was a slow, agonizing punishment,
being offered that kind of view but being so paralyzed by fear that he couldn’t
have moved if he wanted.  He knew she was doing it on purpose, offering
him the show of a carefree woman that could flirt and flounce with the best of
them.  Faith could give the Taliban torture techniques a good run for
their money with her methods of retribution.

“Having fun yet?” a too familiar voice
asked dryly behind him as the bell above the door tinkled.

Cain barely shifted his gaze from where
it rested on Faith as she bent over some young guy’s shoulder and whispered
something in his ear that made the man laugh deeply and gaze up at her with
interest.  “It’s a fucking party,” he growled as he resisted the urge to
surge to his feet and tear Faith away from the seated man.  “Remind me to
thank you for your interference in my personal life privately later, Abel,” he
bit out in a low voice as his brother moved around the table to take a chair on
the other side.

“If I hadn’t interfered, you’d still be
sitting outside at Dad’s, drowning yourself in that God-awful cheap beer you
prefer,” Abel replied unrepentantly.  “After what
could
have
happened last night, I decided to get proactive,” he continued, nodding
slightly to Patience behind the bar when she lifted a bottle of Crown Royal and
an inquiring eyebrow.

“Proactive?  Is that a fancy way of
saying that you decided to pass the buck to a woman you knew I wouldn’t
refuse?  It was a low blow sending Honor to do your dirty work, bro.”

“It worked didn’t it?” his brother
chuckled.  “You’re here.”

“Fuck you,” Cain swore at him. 
“You’re lucky I wasn’t shitfaced when Honor and Zeke showed up this
morning.” 

“Zeke came along?” Abel asked
curiously.  “How’d he find out?”

“Who knows?”  Cain shrugged. 
“The guy seems to have some kind of sixth sense when it comes to the stuff that
happens in Paradise – or, more specifically when it involves Honor.  He
always has.  I imagine he came along in case I got rowdy.”

“Did you?” Abel asked evenly.

“I’m still in one piece, aren’t I?” Cain
grunted.  “You and I both know that Zeke would take apart
any
man
that so much as breathed wrong near Honor – even one of his friends.”

“He
does
love her.”  Abel
grinned faintly.  “Eventually, he’ll get around to telling her, I suspect. 
That might make the fireworks you and Faith have created together pale in
comparison.”

“I doubt that,” Cain muttered, growling
low in his throat as he watched the customer Faith stood beside grin up at her
and slide a too fucking familiar hand around her waist.

Following his brother’s darkening gaze,
Abel shook his head.  “Down, boy,” he warned, keeping his voice low. 
“I know what you’re thinking, and that guy’s no threat.  He’s just a
factory worker from the next town over.  He’s happily married with a wife
and two kids at home and another on the way.”

“Then why the hell is he touching
Faith?” Cain managed to grind out from between clenched teeth as his hand
tightened around the glass of tea on the table.

“Probably because Faith found him a job
last week down at the electric company.  She wrote him a
recommendation.  The poor bastard’s been out of work for a couple of
months.  Faith and the wife are friends, Cain.  He’s here with his
buddies celebrating.  Cut him some slack.”

“I’d rather cut off his arm,” Cain
mumbled, watching as Faith finally patted the man’s shoulder and strolled back
to the bar.

“Oh, this is gonna be a
fun
job
for you,” Abel remarked sarcastically, smirking at his brother.  Not that
the other man saw him.  No... Cain’s eyes were focused on Faith
alone.  “You talked to her yet?” he asked.

Cain shook his head.  “She won’t
come near me,” he admitted softly.  “I might as well be a piece of
furniture for all the attention she’s paid me.”

Abel felt sorry for his brother. 
Not sorry enough to approach Faith on his behalf, but still he was sorry. 
“You knew this wouldn’t be easy.” He inclined his head slightly as Patience
held a drink over her head and raised her eyebrows at him.  Watching as
she put it on the bar in front of her, he realized she was sending him a clear
message.  If he wanted that drink, he could come and get it.  She
wasn’t asking her sister to come back to their table.  He could understand
that.  “This is gonna take time, Cain.”

“Yeah.  Time.”  Cain lovingly
watched as Faith filled a couple of beer mugs and pushed them across the bar to
a couple of the older regulars.  He didn’t deserve easy, he thought
unhappily.  His breath caught in his throat as her gaze lifted and
collided with his for an electrified moment.  His dick jerked in his jeans
as her eyes quickly skittered away from his, but he knew she’d felt something
in those few seconds.  He’d seen her cheeks flush and her eyes dilate.

“Cain?  Earth to Cain?” Abel
called, tapping his fingers against the table between them.

Watching as Faith hurried toward the
café’s office, he stood.  “Later, bro.  I think it’s time I went and
faced the music,” he said before following in the direction his woman had
disappeared.  He barely heard his brother wish him luck as he rushed after
her.