The Bully (Calamity Montana #4)(55)
I glanced over my shoulder before I left the living room.
Harry stood on her toes, her gaze on the photo once more.
So I left her alone to share a quiet moment with her husband while I eased the door closed behind me.
The sun was blinding as I headed for the Winnebago and put Nellie’s diary in a kitchen drawer. Then, having procrastinated long enough, I went for my run.
Sweat dripped down my spine after the first three miles but I kept running, weaving up and down the side streets of Calamity to avoid the bustle on First. Even beneath the shade of the trees, the air was thick and hot. Not a breath of wind graced the sky.
Children played in backyards, their laughter and squeals carefree and untethered. Beyond the fences of a few homes, dogs barked wildly as I passed. On every block, at least one man was out mowing his lawn.
A woman with a stroller crossed my path as I lapped a community park. Her eyes widened slightly as I jogged by, either because I was drenched or because she recognized me.
Opposite a jungle gym was a baseball diamond, and a few kids were running the bases while another hit pop flies at home plate. The boy at home plate spotted me and froze, the bat dropping from his grip.
Maybe if they saw me enough, my novelty would wear off. Maybe they’d just wave next time. Hell, maybe I’d stop and hit a few grounders for them next time. But for today, I ran, mile after mile.
I blamed the heat for turning down Nellie’s street. It had zapped my restraint. I’d avoided it as I’d made my trail, but as my lungs began to burn and the strength in my legs waned, my resolve weakened.
This distance had lasted two weeks.
And damn it, two weeks was long enough.
Her brick house came into view as I crossed the road, my shoes slapping on the pavement. Then there she was, her hair pulled into a knot at the top of her head while she pushed a lawnmower over her grass.
My feet came to an abrupt halt when I reached her sidewalk. I stood, chest heaving for breath, as she cut a swath in the lawn. Her back was to me, and the racerback cut of her tank left her shoulders bare. Her denim shorts were frayed at the hem and molded to the curve of her ass.
Fuck, but she was gorgeous.
I’d thought the same thing years ago when I’d watched her mow a lawn—the yard at Mom and Dad’s. Not a damn thing had changed. Watching her was better than any football game on television or any halftime show.
Just Nellie beneath the sun.
She slowed at the corner, pressing the handle to turn the mower. She walked my direction and glanced at me. Then she did a double take, dropping the bar. The sound of the mower’s engine died instantly.
Not that I could hear much over my roaring pulse. My heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest.
She left the mower and crossed the lawn, stopping on the sidewalk in front of me. “You’re back.”
“Miss me, sugar?”
She dropped her chin to the grass-stained toes of her tennis shoes. “Pierce said you went to California.”
“Yeah. Thought I’d get out of town for a bit.”
“Okay. Well, um . . . I’d better get the yard finished.”
“That’s it?”
She met my gaze and lifted a shoulder. “What else is there?”
“Tell me what you hate about me.” Tell me anything, just so I don’t have to leave.
“I hate that you’ve been on my mind more than I’d like.”
“For the record, I hate that about you too.”
A smile graced her pink lips as she wiped at the sweat on her brow with the back of her hand. Her cheeks were flushed. Her face shiny. We could have a blast in the shower, rinsing each other clean. But I feared that if I took a single step, she’d retreat. She’d leave me standing here alone.
“Why did you watch my games?”
“I told you already.” She tossed out a hand. “In the hopes I’d see you lose.”
“Liar.” That telltale twitch of her nose gave it away.
Her eyes flared, the fire kindling behind those beautiful green pools. “Why do people stare at a car crash? It’s hard to look away from a disaster.”
I planted my hands on my hips. “Can you just be real with me? For one damn minute?”
“You first.”
Well, fuck. I didn’t have anything to say to that. How could I be real with her when I wasn’t even real with myself?
So I stayed quiet.
And she retreated, shaking her head and stepping to the lawn. “That’s what I thought. Go away, Stark.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NELLIE
“It’s weird to be in the office.” Pierce spun his chair toward the windows behind his desk, rubbing a hand over his bearded face. “It’s so quiet. I keep waiting to hear the baby cry.”
“What are Kerrigan and the kids doing today?” I asked, closing my laptop that I’d brought in for our meeting.
“She took them to the park this morning before it got too hot.” He swiped his phone from the desk and pulled up a photo, handing it over.
Constance was in her stroller, a sun hat shielding her precious face. Elias, also in a hat, stood proudly beside his sister wearing a huge, big-brother smile.