Sheri WhiteFeather - Once a Rebel

As she prepared to leave, he debated his options. He knew a kiss was out of the question, but he wasn’t about to settle for a handshake.

He opted for a hug, taking an awkward step toward her, like a teenage boy who was about to trip over his own feet. When he took her in his arms, she put her head on his shoulder.

He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled the faded scent of her shampoo. It was lemon, just like when they were young.

She stepped back and smiled at him, but her eyes were a little glassy. He wondered if the contact had made her warm.

“I’ll guess we’ll see each other around,” she said.

He tried to seem unaffected. “Sure. Anytime.”

She walked toward the SUV, and Chocolate trotted after her.

“You can’t go home with her,” Ethan told the dog.

Chocolate ignored the warning. When Susan opened the driver side, he muscled past her and leaped inside. Then he scooted over, waiting for her to get behind the wheel.

She stood beside the vehicle and laughed. “I guess he made up his mind.”

Ethan shook his head. “I’ll drag his butt out of there.”

“No, it’s okay. He can stay with me for a while. I’m sure Ryan and Lily won’t mind.”

“He’ll want to sleep in your bed. But he won’t keep you warm. He’ll hog the covers.”

“With all that fur? I’ll take my chances.” She climbed into the SUV, started the engine and rolled down the windows. Chocolate curled up on the seat.

Ethan figured there was no point in pushing the issue. If she was willing to babysit his dog, there wasn’t much he could do. “Call me if he gives you any trouble. Ryan has my number.”

“Thank you. I will.”

Her gaze caught his and they stared at each other through the passenger window. Then Chocolate popped up and stuck his head in the way, gloating, no doubt, that he’d gotten the girl.

The one Ethan kept losing.

After watching the eleven o’clock news, Susan curled up with Chocolate. A light burned beside the bed, illuminating the room, casting a white sheen over the book in her hand.

The Lab burrowed deeper beside her. He was more than a blanket hog. His body was pressed so close to hers, he could have been her conjoined twin.

“I can’t concentrate,” she told him as she closed the novel and placed it on the nightstand.

She couldn’t quit thinking about Ethan.

The dog yawned, and she scratched his ears, wondering if his master was in bed. Which wasn’t a good sign. If her mind strayed too far in that direction, she would start obsessing about Ethan, letting him consume her, as he did when they were young.

No, she thought. She hadn’t earned a Ph.D. in psychology to become her own patient all over again. Been there, done that, she told herself.

Then why not analyze Ethan instead? That wasn’t the same as obsessing about him, and she had every right to figure out what he was up to.

Why did he want to sleep with her so badly, especially after dodging her teenage advances? Was it a hard-hitting sexual conquest? A man thinking with his penis? A guy who wished he’d nailed the bad girl all those years ago?

On a primal level, that was a definite possibility, something an adult male might consider. But for an elusive boy who’d wanted to make everything better, to heal her rebellious heart, it seemed out of character.

So maybe he was trying to bandage those old wounds. Not consciously, but deep down, where it counted. Where he’d needed her as much as she’d needed him.

But how could she be sure? Ethan had always kept his feelings to himself. Unlike her, who’d rammed her emotions down everyone else’s throats.

A light knock sounded at the door, and Chocolate lifted his head, his sleepy eyes going wide.

“It’s me,” Lily said through the wood.

“Come in,” Susan told her.

The older woman entered, then smiled at the dog, who thumped his tail in a friendly greeting. “I see your companion found a cozy spot.”

“More than cozy.” Susan scratched his ears again. “He’s glued to my side.”

“I think Ryan half expected you to bring Ethan home instead.”

“I would have.” She gave Lily a teasing grin. “If I hadn’t changed my wicked ways.”

Lily chuckled, then sat in a bentwood rocker that creaked with age. She placed her hands on the curved wood and set the chair into a soft, gliding motion. She wore a cotton nightgown and a chenille robe. Her thick hair was fastened into a single braid.

“Is Ryan asleep?” Susan asked.

“He drifted off hours ago, but I can’t seem to settle in.”

“Too much on your mind?”

“Ryan keeps telling me that he won’t let Jason Jamison hurt anyone in our family, but I can’t help but worry. Ryan is ill, and there’s a madman threatening us. There’s only so much I can take.”

“I know. I’m so sorry.” Susan moved to the edge of the bed, closer to Lily. “I think Ryan is just as worried as you are, but he’s trying to remain strong.”

“To prove that he can protect us? Even though he’s dying?”

Susan nodded. She’d seen the determination on Ryan’s face, and she knew how often he consulted his security team. “I wonder when the FBI agent will contact you. When he’ll uncover Jason’s whereabouts.”

“Soon, I hope. That’s what’s so creepy. Just knowing Jason is out there.” She rubbed her arms, even though she was wrapped in a robe. “Maybe I would feel safer if Ryan wasn’t ill. Maybe that’s why I’m having such a hard time with this. I’m losing my rock, my stability.”

“You haven’t lost him yet, Lily. He’s still here, asleep down the hall.”

The older woman blinked away the tears that gathered in her eyes. “You’re right.” She let out a deep sigh. “I love him so much.”

“And he loves you.”

“Yes, he does. And that’s the most comforting feeling in the world.” She stood, smiled at Susan and Chocolate. “Thank you. It helps to talk.”

“For me, too.” She came to her feet and gave Lily a hug. The dog climbed off the bed and tried to nuzzle his way between them, wanting to be part of the embrace.

They stepped back and laughed, giving in to the moment, to the humor the Lab provided.

“He doesn’t seem like a stray,” Lily said.

“Ethan spoils him. He pretends not to, but he does.”

Lily looked up at her. “I can hardly blame him. You better hang on to that one.”

But after Lily said good-night and left the room, Susan wasn’t sure who “that one” was.

Chocolate. Or the man who’d rescued him.

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