Blinding Rain, Season 2, Episode 7 (Rising Storm) Page 5

  He took his own sip and coughed. “Dear God, that’s awful.”

  Mary Louise stirred her drink with her straw. “Expand your horizons, Tate Johnson. In fact, expand them in all areas.”

  “What the heck does that mean?” He obviously didn’t think the drink was too awful. He was taking another sip. “I’m running for mayor, aren’t I? I’d say that’s expanding my horizons.”

  God, he was dense. “In your career, maybe. But if you don’t learn to cool your jets with your brother, you’ll never win the election.”

  He tipped his head and stared at her. “I don’t need—”

  “Yeah, actually, you do. You need someone to tell it to you like it is because you’re not getting it on your own. So here it is. You’re mad at your brother. I get that. What he did was a dick move. But being angry isn’t going to change anything. It’s not going to make him break up with Hannah, and it’s not going to make her run back to you. And let’s be honest, here, shall we?”

  Tate leaned back against the booth and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly not liking her bluntness, but she didn’t care. “Sounds like you already are.”

  “Hannah Grossman obviously didn’t love you if she so easily fell into bed with someone else.”

  “I already know that,” he said between clenched teeth. “You don’t have to state the obvious.”

  “Clearly I do, because you’re acting like she broke your heart. She didn’t break your heart and we both know that. Face it. You wouldn’t be this upset if she’d cheated on you with anyone else. You’re ticked because she did it with your brother.”

  “Of course I’m pissed she did it with my brother!” When Mary Louise eased back and looked around the bar, Tate’s gaze followed, and he realized several heads were turned their way. Frowning, he leaned toward her and tried to quiet his voice when he said, “If you had any siblings you’d understand why I’m so mad, but you don’t, so don’t try to act like you know what I’m feeling.”

  “You’re right,” she said softly, trying to calm her own frayed temper. “I don’t have any siblings. So maybe I don’t know what it’s like to have a brother or sister betray me, but I can sure as hell tell you that I know what it’s like not to have a sibling at all. Or parents, for that matter.”

  The fight seemed to slide right out of him. Tate’s shoulders relaxed and the fire she’d seen flare in his eyes moments before died down. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about your own family.”

  “Thank you.” Mary Louise reached for her drink and took a small sip. She wasn’t sure how they’d gotten off on this tangent, but she had a feeling maybe it was for the best. “And I’m not trying to sound ungrateful. I love my aunts and everything they’ve done for me. It’s just... I’d give my left arm for the kind of family you have, Tate, but you’re so blinded by your anger you can’t see what you’re about to throw away. All over a woman you wouldn’t even want back. Would you take her back right now if you could?”

  “No.”

  “Do you love her?”

  He scowled and reached for his drink. “No.”

  “Did you ever?”

  He lifted his drink and sucked through the straw until his drink was gone and all that remained was a slurping sound from the bottom of his glass. “I don’t know.” He set his drink down. “I thought so. Now I’m not so sure.”

  “What about your brother? Do you love him?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  Mary Louise tipped her head and pinned him with a look. “Come on, Tate. Just because you’re mad at a family member doesn’t mean you stop loving them. I can admit that I harbor a lot of harsh feelings toward my dad for being absent from my life, and that I am not always the greatest when he tries to make an effort with me, but deep down I still love him. Even when he hurts me, I love him. Because screwed up or not, he’s still family.”

  He stared at her for several heartbeats, then finally rested his hands on the table and shook his head as he glanced toward the ceiling. “Fine. I love the jerk, okay? I just don’t particularly like him very much right now. What he did...” He looked down at his hand. “I never would have done that to him.”

  That was the crux of what was bothering him. Mary Louise reached across the table and laid her hand over his. Warmth seeped into her skin, but she ignored it and tried to be the friend he needed, not the woman he wasn’t interested in. “That’s because you’re the better man.”

  He frowned. “You really don’t think that. If you thought that, you wouldn’t have rushed over and intervened on the sidewalk.”

  “I intervened because I don’t want to see you throw away this election. I think you’ll make a wonderful mayor. I think you’re smart and funny, when you’re not upset with your brother, and that you’re just what this town needs in a leader. I also think you’re too good for Hannah Grossman.”

  He blinked at her. “You really think all that?”

  Her heart skipped a beat, and she smiled. Maybe she looked like a fool for putting her heart on her sleeve but she didn’t care. He needed to know he was more than just the jilted ex-lover. “I really do. I also think Hannah Grossman is a total fool for ever having let you go.”

  He looked down at her hand over his but he didn’t pull away. “A fool, huh?”

  “A total fool. Huge. Gigantic. ”

  One corner of his lips turned up. “I could go with that.”

  She smiled, because this was the Tate she remembered. The confident, easy-going one, not the angry man he’d been of late. “Do you think you could maybe go with, I don’t know, forgiving them? If not Hannah, then at least your brother.”

  His smile faded, and he looked up at her again. “That’s asking a lot.”

  “Maybe. But remember you are the better man. Just think about it, okay? I have a feeling if you can get past this thing with Tucker, you’ll feel a whole lot better. And then...watch out, Storm. The new Mayor Johnson will be in town.”

  His eyes skipped over her features, and as he looked at her, her stomach tightened. Because she had the oddest sense he was seeing her for the first time.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Mary Louise supposed that was a beginning. She started to pull her hand away from his, but Tate flipped his palm up and captured hers before she could get away.

  “On one condition,” he said, lifting two fingers on his other hand and catching Sonya’s attention at the bar. Sonya nodded, and he looked back at Mary Louise. “You have to have another attitude adjustment with me.”

  Mary Louise smiled and relaxed her hand against his, loving the way his fingers wrapped around hers, trying not to read too much into the gesture, hoping—for the first time in forever—that maybe there was something there. “I could probably do that.”

  “Good.” Tate frowned but didn’t show any sign of wanting to let go of her. And she liked that. Boy, did she like that. “Because I have a feeling I may need two or three more of those awful drinks for liquid courage. You know, if I’m really going to consider forgiving that jackass.”

  Chapter Four

  Tate wasn’t sure how he’d been talked into this.

  Now that the buzz from his two drinks had worn off, he suspected he could blame the alcohol. One glance across the front seat of his car though, told him he was wrong. He was on his way to talk to his good-for-nothing brother all because one very pretty strawberry blonde had looked at him as if she saw something in him no one else did.

  He forced his gaze back to the road. Forced his hands to stay curled around the wheel so he wouldn’t reach for Mary Louise again. He’d liked touching her in the bar. He’d liked holding her hand. He’d liked it a hell of a lot more than he’d thought he would and he wanted to do it all again. He’d always thought Mary Louise was pretty, he just hadn’t realized they had a lot more in common than he’d known. Or that underneath all that sweetness she was a take-charge kind of woman.

  He really liked that about her. Hannah had never look
ed at him the way Mary Louise had. She’d never told him he was being an idiot or tried to talk any kind of sense into him. In fact, thinking back, Hannah hadn’t ever taken any kind of initiative in their relationship. He’d been the one to do all the courting. He’d been the one to always check in on her, not the other way around. He’d been the one pushing for more in their relationship, right from the start, and she’d just sat back and let it happen.

  He rested his elbow on the open window and brushed his fingers over his mouth as he thought back to Mary Louise’s questions in the bar. Had he ever really loved Hannah? He’d thought they made the perfect couple. On paper she was everything he’d always wanted. But he couldn’t deny that he’d felt more of a spark sitting with Mary Louise for an hour at Murphy’s than he’d felt with Hannah in all the time they’d been together. He glanced her way and couldn’t help but feel an increase in his pulse as he took in the soft curve of her jaw and the gentle slope of her nose. If he’d had someone like Mary Louise by his side these last few years, how different would his life be now?

  “Um, Tate?” Mary Louise braced a hand on the door at her side. “You’re drifting.”

  “Huh?”

  “The road. You’re drifting!”

  Tate glanced back at the road and quickly corrected the wheel to keep from driving onto the gravel shoulder. “Sorry.”

  Mary Louise breathed easier and pressed her hand against her chest. “It’s okay. You’re nervous. I get that.”

  He was nervous. But not about talking to his brother. He was nervous about her. He hadn’t expected her to say yes when he’d asked her to go out to the ranch with him so he could talk to Tucker, but he really liked that she was here now. Everything just seemed easier with her. More relaxed. And he was almost afraid of fixing things with his brother because he didn’t want to give her any reason to leave.

  He turned down the lane to his parents’ place and pulled to a stop behind Tucker’s truck. This time of day, Tucker was probably in the barn. Tate glanced past Mary Louise toward the massive structure and frowned.

  “Hey.” Mary Louise’s hand covered his on his knee. “You got this. Just remember what we talked about. She’s the fool, not you. And you’re the much better man.”

  He looked down at her and felt a tug toward her, followed by an overwhelming urge to kiss her. Right here. Right in front of his parents’ place. Right where anyone could see.

  His gaze drifted to her lush, pink lips. He really wanted to kiss her but he wasn’t sure if he should. Would he look like an ass if he did? A couple hours ago he’d been ranting and raging about his ex with his brother. Would Mary Louise think he was mental if he so quickly changed his mind about what he wanted?

  “Will you come with me?” The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

  Mary Louise smiled and squeezed his hand. “I think this part you should probably do on your own.”

  He nodded and looked down at her hand covering his. Man, she had great hands. Long fingers, delicate nails. He really liked the look of her hands. They weren’t callused or rough from working outdoors or with animals. They were soft and perfect.

  “Tell you what,” she said softly. “I’ll be right here when you get done. And after, if you’re up for it, I’ll cook you dinner back at my place. If, that is, you don’t already have plans.”

  His gaze lifted to hers. Was she asking him out? His heart picked up speed as he studied her. The nervous look in her eyes told him yes.

  “Okay,” he said slowly, savoring that knowledge. “Don’t steal my car while I’m gone.”

  Mary Louise smiled as he popped his door and climbed out. “I will try not to, Mr. Johnson.”

  Tate was actually smiling as he crossed toward the barn, about to meet with his brother. He never in a million years would have predicted that. But his smile faded as soon as he stepped into the barn and heard the unmistakable sounds of kissing.

  A familiar burn cut across his chest, and his first reaction was to retreat, but before he could make it back to the door he remembered what Mary Louise had said to him at the pub. That he wouldn’t be nearly as upset if Hannah had cheated on him with another guy. Mary Louise had been right of course. Now that he could look at his relationship with Hannah objectively, he knew she hadn’t been right for him and he hadn’t been right for her. Neither of them had been able to admit it, though. So instead of breaking up months ago as they should have done, their relationship had deteriorated to this.

  He frowned as he moved back into the barn, toward the sound of kissing instead of away from it, as he wanted. Mary Louise was right about something else. His anger had little to do with Hannah and everything to do with his brother. But for the sake of the family, he could be the better man, couldn’t he? He sure the hell hoped so since he was about to come face to face with two people he’d rather not see.

  He rounded a corner toward the stalls, and just as he expected, the two lip-locked in front of the horses were Tucker and Hannah. His gut tightened, and his feet itched to turn and run, but he stopped where he was and slid his hands in the pockets of his slacks instead.

  Neither heard him. And though he definitely wasn’t happy with the scene in front of him, it didn’t hurt him. At least not in the way it should if he really had loved Hannah.

  He cleared his throat, anxious just to get this over with. Hannah’s eyes opened, and when she spotted him over Tucker’s shoulder she lurched back and gasped. “Tate.”

  Tucker whipped around and immediately stepped in front of Hannah.

  “Relax,” Tate said, inwardly cringing because, geez, had he really been that bad that his brother thought he had to protect Hannah from him? “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I just want to talk.”

  “Okay,” Tucker said warily. “About what?”

  Tate rolled his eyes. Hannah must have nudged Tucker or pinched him because he whispered, “Sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Well, I do,” Tate said. “I’ve been a little bit of a bear—”

  “A little?” Tucker asked.

  When Tate frowned, Tucker said, “Sorry. Go on.”

  “I probably didn’t...handle things as well as I could have,” Tate went on. “The two of you together is...” He waved a hand, trying to find the right word, coming up absolutely blank. “Well, it’s not anything I ever expected.”

  “Listen, Tate.” Tucker stepped forward. “I know we didn’t go about this the right way—”

  Tate held up a hand. “Let me finish.” He wasn’t really in the mood for excuses. Wasn’t sure he was ready to hear them. He just needed to say what he’d come to say so he could leave. He looked at Hannah. “I’m not so upset about us. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized we didn’t make a whole lot of sense.” He glanced at his brother. “I’ve mostly been upset because you’re the last person I expected to go behind my back.”

  “I know.” Tucker’s face fell. “Shit, I know and I’m sorry. If I could change what happened, I—”

  “No.” Tate waved a hand again. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. That’s not why I came here. I just came to tell you I realize I’ve been an ass lately and that you two don’t have to worry about me anymore. Someone made me see things in a different way, and I’m...bowing out gracefully and admitting defeat. If I run into either or both of you in town, I won’t make a scene.”

  Neither said anything. They just stared at him as if he’d grown a third eyeball. And even though he felt like an idiot, Tate figured that was probably for the best. He’d said what he’d come to say. He’d been the bigger man. Now it was time to go.

  He rounded the corner and turned for the barn doors. Stepping into the early evening light, he drew a deep breath and knew he’d done the right thing. Only he didn’t feel a whole lot better.

  But the moment he spotted Mary Louise leaning against the hood of his car, studying her phone, that pressure in his chest eased. He took two steps toward her before he heard shuffling at hi
s back, followed by his brother’s voice.

  “Tate, wait.”

  Drawing a breath for patience, he turned to face Tucker. Thankfully, Hannah wasn’t with him. “What?”

  Unease passed over Tucker’s face as he stepped into the light and slipped his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. “I know you don’t want to hear apologies or excuses so I’m just gonna say...I love you. You’re my brother, and I love you, and I know it doesn’t change anything but somehow I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”

  Shit. He just had. Something light replaced all the anger inside Tate that had been weighing him down. Something he didn’t know how to define and wasn’t even sure he could define. He frowned because...yeah, he wasn’t ready to do much more just yet. “I love you, too. I just don’t really like you very much right now.”

  Tucker grinned, looking more like the annoying kid brother he’d been Tate’s whole life than the man he’d grown into. “I can live with that.”

  So could Tate. If nothing else, it was a start. He glanced toward the barn where Hannah was standing just inside the shadows. He wanted to tell Tucker to be better to her than he’d been, but he wasn’t there yet either. The most he could do was nod her way. She answered with a sad smile and a wave, and as Tucker turned and headed back to her, Tate took a deep breath that felt a helluva a lot like...freedom.

  Mary Louise was waiting at the car with a warm smile on her pretty face when he reached her. She’d been watching him with Tucker. He could see it in her eyes. He wasn’t sure where her phone had gone, but he didn’t care. In the fading light of dusk, on the farm where he’d grown up, she looked absolutely perfect.

  “Are you okay?” she asked as he drew close.

  “Yeah,” he answered, meaning it. “I’m good.”

  “Really?” She lifted her brows and looked up at him.

  He nodded. “And I have you to thank for it.”

  “I didn’t really do anything.”

  “Yeah, you did. You talked some sense into me. Pretty sure my old man would say you’re the only person who’s ever been able to do that.”