Hometown Hero (Hometown Alaska Men Book 2) (15 page)

Trudy arrived next escorted by Ron, followed by the twins, ring bearer, Finn and flower girl, Emma. Last came matron of honor Brandi, who was escorted by the best man, Brad.

The music changed as Star walked down the aisle, alone. No father to escort her. Star wore a simple off the shoulder satin gown. The satin hugged her like a second skin. Like Tawney's, Star's hair was up. Pearls, a wedding gift from Cade, circled Star's throat. Star was a vision, the most beautiful bride Tawney had ever seen. Her heart pinged a little at the thought of Star being robbed of an escort, but when Star smiled at Cade, Tawney forgot all about their lack of a male parent.

The ceremony was beautiful and passed all too quickly. The minister announced, "Will you please welcome Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien."

The crowd of about fifty family and friends burst into applause.

Star and Cade stepped into the area where the guests were seated. There was no formal procession out of the room. Everyone was out of their seats, talking, laughing, and congratulating the bride and groom.

Unable to help herself, Tawney searched the room for Rick. He was making his way to her.

"Great ceremony," he said when he reached her.

"Beautiful," she agreed.

Star found her and hugs were exchanged.

"You did it, Star," Tawney said. "You're married."

Star smiled. "I'm so happy."

Cade caught up with Star. "I'm here for my wife."

"She's all yours." Tawney embraced Cade. "Take care of my sister."

"You know I will," he said.

"Congratulations." Rick shook Cade's hand.

"Thanks." Cade held his arm out to Star. "Shall we?"

"I'll follow you anywhere." Star smiled.

"I'll see you later," Tawney said to Rick. "I promised Trudy I'd give her a hand in the kitchen."

"Okay," Rick said. "I'll be here."

Once the food was out, the party really began. Toasts followed. The cake was cut. Tawney managed to stay busy by helping out. Cade and Star had their first dance. As Tawney watched, tears filled her eyes. Her heart felt full. They radiated happiness. How did one find that kind of absolute bliss?

The song ended and a popular fast song began.

Finn and Emma hit the dance floor, followed by Brad and his date, a pretty girl named Sandy. Others piled onto the dance floor.

She hadn't seen Rick for a while. She found him sitting off to the side, his eyes on her. A predatory stare—that was the only way she could describe it. The second she made eye contact he rose, making his way to her as if she were a magnet and he were a piece of metal.

"Are you done playing hostess?" he asked.

"For now."

He held out his hand. "Dance?"

"To this?" She glanced over at the wiggling, dancing kids.

The song ended and a slow song came on. Finn groaned and said, "Gross," before walking off the dance floor.

Tawney took Rick's hand. On the dance floor, his hand found her waist. Her left hand sought out his shoulder. He took her right hand in his. She loved that he was taller than she was; a lot of men weren't, Fox Lassiter included.

She looked into Rick's eyes but couldn't stare long, because what she saw there shook her to her core. The desire. The heat. The lust. She couldn’t handle it, so instead she gazed over Rick's shoulder at Star and Cade who danced nearby.

Rick's hand moved on the small of her back, putting a subtle pressure on her to move closer.

Holy crap.

Tawney swallowed hard. She needed the song to be over. She told herself she wasn't an easy mark. She needed to stand her ground.

Respect. She repeated the word silently. Respect. It was all about being respected.

"You look gorgeous," Rick said, his lips grazing her hair near her ear.

Her eyes slid shut.

Together they swayed. The song ended, another super-fast song played, the bass shaking the room. The kids ran back out onto the dance floor.

"I need a drink," Tawney said, anything to take the edge off of her extreme feelings for Rick.

Rick took her hand, leading her to the bar in the dining room. "What would you like?"

"Tequila shot."

His eyebrows rose. "Two tequila shots," he said to the bartender.

The bartender slid the shots to them.

"Bottoms up," Rick said, hefting his glass.

Tawney downed her tequila, the liquor burning all the way down.

"Another?" Rick asked.

"I don't think so," she said. "In fact, one was probably a mistake."

"It's been a long day," Rick said. "I think you earned it."

She smiled. "Maybe."

"Tawney," Brad called, making his way to them. "Dance with me."

"I don't know," she hedged. "This isn't really my kind of music."

Brad grabbed her hand. "Come on." He tugged Tawney away from Rick. When she looked back, Rick was smiling.

"Oh, what the heck," she said to Brad. "Let's dance."

*    *    *

It was close to midnight when Tawney finally let herself into the Copper Room. She peeled off her dress, showered again to wash off the sweat from all the dancing, and put on her pajamas.

She was reaching to turn down the bedspread when a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in," she called out.

Trudy entered, holding a present. "Rick asked me to give this to you. I think he'd forgotten it was in the pocket of his coat. He noticed it as he was leaving."

"Thanks," Tawney said, accepting the present.

"It's obviously a Valentine's Day gift," Trudy said. "The hearts on the paper give it away. Are you going to open it now, or do you want to be alone?" Trudy's eyebrows rose. She was obviously dying to know what was in the box.

"Alone," Tawney said, not wanting to share the contents of the box with Trudy until she saw what was inside. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," Trudy said, backing out of the room. She winked at Tawney. "If you want to show me tomorrow, of course I'm interested." She laughed. "Sleep tight."

"Thanks."

Tawney opened the card first. A big red heart was on the front. Inside it simply said Happy Valentine's Day. Rick.

She pressed a hand to her beating heart.

Eager to see what was in the box, she carefully removed the pretty paper, exposing a silver box. She lifted the lid.

A silver bracelet lay on the bed of cotton batting. The bracelet had a single charm—a wild mustang. Tawney's eyes filled with tears. She loved it! She put the bracelet on, her fingers touching the tiny horse. This was the most thoughtful gift she'd ever received, and she knew she would treasure it always.

Rick had given her a Valentine's Day gift. A small gift, not two dozen red roses that said will you sleep with me, or a gaudy expensive ring that said I own you, but a perfect symbol of their newfound relationship. The mustang, her talisman, and maybe Rick's as well. She'd never shared that story with anyone but him, and that made the gift so much more special.

It was a point in Rick's favor.

He hadn't tried to kiss her again, but he had shown her many times that day that he wanted her.

He'd been respectful.

He'd taken the time to find her the perfect Valentine's Day gift.

Tawney smiled.

It was a start.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Rick pulled into the carport and cut the engine.

The ten-mile drive from Cade's place had cooled his libido some.

And man did he need cooling off.

When he'd seen Tawney in that dress, her shoulders bare, her hourglass figure showcased to perfection, he'd felt like he'd been delivered a hand slap to his forehead.

Right then and there he'd admitted to himself that he wanted her. Physically, yes. As a girlfriend? As a partner? He didn't know. Confusion was his enemy, yet he'd been unable to stay away from her.

And that kiss. He'd lost himself in her taste, the softness of her skin, the scent of her hair. She was a woman made for a man.

His body roared to life. Even now he wanted her.

He exited the Jeep, forcing his mind to the here and now. Problem was every man she met wanted her. How did he stand out, prove to her that he was different? He thought about the gift he'd left her, hoping she'd be okay with the present. He often thought about the wild mustangs. Seeing those magnificent horses running free had really meant something to her. He hoped she liked the gift. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her, or make her think of Fox and his unwanted presents. He'd intended to give her the gift himself but had forgotten about it until he'd been leaving the party.

Maybe it was better having Trudy deliver the present. She was a neutral third party. If Tawney was uncomfortable with the gift, he didn't want to know. He was putting himself out on a limb giving her the present, having no idea if she'd be receptive to the gift or not.

He knew she didn't like anonymous gifts, and he wondered if she'd received any today. Rick crossed the yard to her cottage.

Sure enough two packages sat on the porch. He scooped them up and took them to his place. Once inside, he unwrapped the first one, recognizing the paper as a wrapper from the local candy store. There was no card, just of box of truffles. The second package also contained candy. There was a card but it simply said from an admirer.

Cowards. Why couldn't the men around here own up? How did they ever expect to get a woman when they couldn’t even include a card with their signature?

He didn't intend to tell Tawney about the candy. She'd only get upset. Maybe the time had come to install a camera, one he could view from his phone. He'd have to get her consent. He didn't want her to think he was spying on her.

His phone rang.
Tawney
. "Hey."

"Hi." Her voice crept across the airwaves to him. "I got your present. Oh, Rick, I love it."

He smiled. "I'm glad. Happy Valentine's Day."

"I want you to know it's the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome."

"Well, I just wanted you to know that," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Count on it." The line went dead. He sat there for a few minutes, playing her words over and over in his mind.

He grinned. She'd liked the gift. He was on the right track with her.

Tired, he hit the shower before crawling under the covers. Instant sleep overtook him. Vivid dreams ran through his mind, Angie, gunshots, Phil, the snap of his own neck when he was hit in the teeth by the butt of a gun.

Rick jerked awake. Sweat coated his forehead. His hand touched his teeth, finding reassurance that his implants were intact. He tossed the covers back trying to get his bearings.

Something about the dream wasn't right. Had the events been out of order? Yes, Phil hadn't been there until after he'd been hit. But in his dream, he'd heard Phil first.

No, Phil hadn't been there first, had he?

Rick had already taken some hard hits to the head prior to being force-fed the butt of a gun. His memories weren't clear; they never had been. For so long he'd refused to think about that night, but now the night Angie had died was all he could think about.

Rick got up and drank some water. He longed to call his partner, but it was the middle of the night. His questions would have to wait until the morning.

He knew one thing for certain. He wasn't ready to let that day die. He needed answers if he wanted to move forward.

More at peace now, Rick went back to bed.

This time his dreams were filled with a beautiful woman with dark hair and skin so soft she made him ache for her.

*    *    *

The following evening at The Junebug, Tawney picked up two draft beers from Rick and delivered them to Mel and Harry.

"You're looking real pretty tonight, Tawney," Mel said, his eyes on her breasts.

She smiled. "I'm a little tired tonight. My sister got married yesterday. Stayed up too late."

"I heard Cade and Star got married." Harry used a toothpick to clean his teeth. "Good for them."

"What's it take to get a date with one of you girls?" Mel asked.

"Which one did you want to date?" Tawney asked, both irritated and amused.

"You of course," Mel said.

"I'm not dating at the moment," Tawney told him. "Sorry."

"If that's true, it's a shame." Mel leaned closer to her. "I'm just going to admit it. I left a box of Valentine's candy on your porch yesterday, and when I did, I saw another present there for you. Makes me think there is someone else."

"What?" Tawney asked, instantly alarmed. Mel she could deal with, but someone else? "I didn't see any candy when I got home this morning."

"Well it was there yesterday," Mel said. "I guess you know by now that I like you Tawney. I'd like to take you out."

Harry spit out his toothpick, watching the exchange between the two of them with interest.

Tawney didn't want to ruin her relationship with her best tipper, so she decided to tread lightly. "Mel, that was sweet of you to leave the candy, but like I said, I'm not dating right now. I've been burned recently. I'm not up for having a relationship with anyone. I have no idea who left me the other present."

Mel's beady eyes pinned her. "Um hum." His tone told her he didn't believe her.

"Sorry." She moved away from him, back behind the bar.

Rick glanced at her over his shoulder. "Is he giving you a hard time?"

"No worse than usual," she said. "He told me he left me a box of candy on the porch yesterday, and that there was a second package there. He wanted to know who his competition is."

"You don't say." Rick kept his back to her.

"You wouldn't happen to know what became of the gifts would you, Rick?" She removed a rack of beer glasses from the dishwasher and set them on the lower counter. She walked around him to see his face.

"I might." His mouth tightened.

Instantly her anger ignited. "Why would you keep that from me? I need to know if someone is stalking me. Keeping me in the dark is dangerous."