Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

B irchwood Springs really does need better places for shopping , Corbin thought as he pulled into the driveway of the cabin. He went to three different shops and couldn’t find any decent pajamas. Finally, he settled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Delaney would probably think he was crazy for going shopping, but he was just trying to think of something nice to do for her … something to let her know that he wasn’t a bad guy.

After she left his room the night before, he’d lain awake thinking about their conversation and the kiss. He thought he might regret telling Delaney about what happened in the Philippines, but he didn’t. He wanted her to know everything about him, as he wanted to know about her.

He reached for the bags and transferred them all to his left hand, then grabbed the bouquet of flowers with his right. On impulse, he’d grabbed the flowers as he was leaving the grocery store. Was it too much? He hoped not.

As he walked to the door, his skin prickled with the knowledge that someone was watching him. He looked at the cabin to his right, about half a football field away. A man had gotten out of his car, also going into his cabin. When he realized that Corbin had made eye contact, he smiled and waved. Corbin nodded and offered a brief smile. The heavyset man was bald and looked to be in his early sixties. He seemed harmless, but under the circumstance Corbin had to be cautious about everyone.

“Hey,” Pops said when he stepped into the cabin. Pops was reclining on the couch, watching TV with his hands behind his head, his feet propped on the coffee table.

“Hey.” Corbin looked around. “Where’s Delaney?” He hoped she hadn’t been too upset when she realized he was gone. She was sleeping so peacefully when he left that he hated to wake her. And, he needed some time to sort through things, try to figure out the best way to get through to Delaney. What he most wanted at this point was for her to give him a chance.

“In her room, working on songs.”

Corbin placed the bags on the kitchen table and began removing the groceries, then placed the perishables in the refrigerator. “Who’s the guy next door? The portly bald guy?”

“Oh, that’s Gus Ridley.”

“Do you know him very well?”

“Yes, he and his wife Jean have been coming here for years.”

Good to hear. He didn’t have to worry about the man.

“Why do you ask?”

“He was outside as I came in. He waved. I just wondered.”

“It’s good to be vigilant, considering the situation.”

“Exactly.”

“Nice flowers,” Pops said a few seconds later.

Corbin looked at the colorful bouquet in question, caught the teasing in Pops’ voice, but he chose to ignore it. “Thanks,” he said lightly. He went to the cupboards. “Is there a vase, or something I can put these in?”

“There’s a Mason Jar on the top shelf, to the right of the microwave. I saw it when I was making breakfast.”

“Oh, yeah. How was breakfast?”

“Great. There are leftovers in the fridge if you want them.”

“That’s okay. I ran by a drive-through and grabbed something before I went shopping.” He reached for the jar and filled it with water. The flowers were wrapped in plastic. A packet of flower food was attached to the stems with a rubber band. He pulled out several drawers. “What about scissors?”

“There should be some in there. I asked Hilda to stock all the cabins with them.”

“Found ‘em.” He cut off the rubber band and removed the plastic. Corbin didn’t know the first thing about arranging flowers. He grabbed the stems and stuffed them into the jar all at once. He stepped back to admire his handiwork. He frowned. It looked pathetic, like a blob. Maybe he should’ve left the flowers in the plastic. He shifted them around a little, but it didn’t seem to help. Oh, well. It was the thought that counted, right? He was a bodyguard, not a florist. Oops, he forgot to add the food. He snipped a corner of the packet, and pushed the stems to the side, then emptied the powder into the water.

He placed the flowers in the center of the table where Delaney couldn’t miss them. Then he sat down beside Pops. “Thanks for holding down the fort.”

“Sure. I enjoyed spending time with Dee. She’s a good girl. We had a great conversation.”

He kept his tone casual. “What did you guys talk about?”

“Oh, you know. Life. Relationships … stuff like that.”

He tensed. “What sort of relationships?”

Pops reached for the remote and turned down the volume on the TV. Then he angled toward Corbin. He arched an eyebrow, a trace of defiance in his expression. “You really wanna know?”

“Well, yeah. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” It was crazy how fast the irritation surfaced.

“We talked about you and her.”

The breath left Corbin’s lungs. His eyes narrowed. “What’re you up to, Pops? You have no right to meddle in my personal life.”

“On the contrary. I have every right. You called and asked for my help, remember? Came here.”

It was just like Pops to throw that in his face. “Yeah, I wanted to bring Delaney, Dee,” he corrected, “here to keep her safe, not for you to play matchmaker.” There was no telling what Pops told her.

“Aren’t you interested in what she said?”

“Well … yeah.” Pops had him and he knew it. He desperately wanted to know what Delaney said, but he wasn’t about to give Pops the satisfaction of begging.

A sly smile slid over Pops’ lips. “She likes you. A lot.”

“Really?” Hope rose in his chest. “She said that.”

“Yeah. Not in those exact words, but that was the inference.”

He gave Pops a hard look. “Are you sure you didn’t misconstrue the conversation?”

“Absolutely. Dee cares about you, but she’s scared because of what happened with her ex.”

“She told you that?” He was surprised that Pops had gotten Delaney to open up to him. And he was a little envious too.

Pops winked. “Given enough time, I think she’ll come around.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Corbin said darkly. “She’s been hurt bad. I don’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust anyone else.”

“Just be patient with her. You’ll see … it’ll work out.”

He could tell Pops really believed that. Corbin wished he could be as sure.

Pops sat up straight and cleared his throat. “There’s something else I want to talk to you about.”

“Okay.” Wariness settled over him. This sounded serious. “What is it?”

“This guy that’s after Dee, he’s bad news, huh?”

“Yeah, Hugh Allen’s the worst of the worst.”

“How are you gonna stop him?”

He tightened his fist. “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep Delaney safe, if that’s what you’re asking.” Was Pops questioning his ability? Of course he was. He never believed that Corbin could do anything right.

Pops looked him in the eye. “So you’re gonna spend the rest of your life running?”

He rocked back. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

“If this guy’s as ruthless as you say, he won’t stop until he finds you and Dee.”

Corbin rolled his eyes. “I’m glad to see you have so little faith in me,” he said sarcastically.

Pops cocked his head. “Is that what you think?”

“Yeah, quite frankly, that’s exactly what I think.” They stared at one other, all the old hurts and disagreements boiling to the top. Corbin was surprised to see a twitch in Pops’ jaw, then moisture in his eyes.

“Nothing could be further from the truth.” He placed a hand on Corbin’s arm. “I know we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but I want you to know how proud of you I am.”

The words broadsided Corbin like a fist to the gut. He couldn’t ever remember Pops giving him an outright compliment. Emotion rumbled in his throat as he swallowed.

“I know you’ve been through some hard times,” Pops continued, “but I want you to know that the proudest moment of my life was when you were serving your country. I don’t know what happened out there, but I know you. I know your heart. You’re a good man.” His voice hitched. “But you’re also a hard, stubborn fool. Just like me. You may think that you’ll never be able to get past what happened to you, but you will. That’s the greatest gift the good Lord gave us … the power to change … to start again. I changed for that amazing, good-hearted woman in the care center, and I know you can do the same for Dee.”

Tears brimmed in Corbin’s eyes, blurring his vision.

“I should’ve told you that a long time ago.”

Corbin coughed to cover the emotion.

Pops smiled thinly. “I guess with your grandmother around, I didn’t have to. She could take up the slack. But now that she’s … sick … well, things are different.”

“I miss her,” Corbin said quietly, the ache in his gut so powerful he could hardly contain it.

“I miss her too, son.” A tear dribbled down Pops’ cheek. “She loved you. In her eyes, the sun rose and set with you.”

Corbin looked down at the floor. He loved her too, so much that it cut to the quick.

“Back to this thing with Hugh Allen.” Pops cleared his throat, his jaw tightening.

Corbin recognized that gesture well. Pops was bottling up his emotion and putting on the hard cap. That he’d said as much as he had was a miracle.

“You can’t keep running. You and Dee have to face him.”

He barked out a laugh, hardly believing what he was hearing. “Why? So he can kill Delaney?”

“So you can put an end to this thing. Better to do it on your own turf rather than on someone else’s.” He lifted his chin, his eyes going hard. “You’ll stand more of a chance facing him here than anywhere else.”

Corbin shook his head. As frustrated as he got with his grandfather, he admired his torque. Pops believed he was invincible. Sure he was tough, part of that generation that breathed grit and determination. He’d taught Corbin how to fish, how to hunt, how to shoot, how to suck it up and be a man. But Pops had no idea what he was up against here. An image of the little girl flashed through his mind. It was still fresh from the nightmare. The white dress, the mother’s anguished cry, the blood spilling out. A shudder went through him. He could never intentionally put Delaney in harm’s way. “No, I can’t do that.”

“It’s the only way to keep her safe. Remember the story of the bear?”

A laugh scratched Corbin’s throat. Pops and his never-ending parables. “I don’t wanna hear the stupid bear story, all right?”

Pops rubbed a hand across his brow. “Fine, but you’re not thinking about this sensibly.”

His grandfather was a stubborn old fool. Corbin’s voice rose. “You’d really have me lure Hugh and his goons here? What about you? And Addie?”

Pops’ face paled.

Checkmate . Pops hadn’t thought about that, what it would mean for their family. Maybe he’d realize now and drop the whole thing.

“You said your boss has endless resources. We could tap into those to help fight this.”

He shook his head. The man was unbelievable, like a dog refusing to let go of a bone. “Pops, this isn’t some game. This is serious—a life and death situation. Sutton, my boss, is taking precautions. When I first found out about Delaney’s situation, I wanted to rush in and take care of Hugh, but Sutton said it would be too dangerous—too much collateral damage. That we should wait and let Hugh come to us.” After thinking about it, Corbin wondered if Sutton’s hesitancy to charge after Hugh was also owed to principle. It was one thing to act out of protection and another altogether to be the aggressor. Heaven favored the former, and Sutton seemed to be a God-fearing man.

Pops clenched his fist. “Exactly,” he exclaimed, like Corbin had just gotten it. “You lure the bear out of the protection of its cave.”

“But that doesn’t mean we should bring the danger to our doorstep. Do you have some sort of death wish?”

“No, I do not,” he countered stiffly. “And I don’t appreciate your tone. I’m only trying to protect you and Dee.”

He blew out a breath. “So am I, Pops. So am I,” he repeated quietly. He looked at his aged grandfather, feeling a wave of sympathy for him. “Look, I appreciate your help, but you need to let me do this my way. Sutton has everything under control on his end, and so do I.” He gave Pops a firm look. “Okay? I’m a big boy. I don’t need you or anyone else running my life.”

Pops nodded, but Corbin could tell he wasn’t convinced. Corbin stood to leave, but Pops caught his arm. He cleared his throat, hesitation washing over him. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

He sat back down.

“You need to go and visit your grandmother.” His features clouded. “She’s not doing well.”

Corbin rocked back, eyes narrowing. “Well, of course she’s not well. You’ve got her stuffed away in that place.” The words dripped like daggers from his lips as he shot Pops an accusing look. While a part of him understood why Gram had to be there, the larger part of him couldn’t. No that wasn’t true. This didn’t have as much to do with Pops as it did with himself. Guilt was eating him alive. Corbin was the worst offender of all. He’d left when Gram got sick because he couldn’t stand watching her wither away.

Pops’ features tightened making him look older, a shriveled banana skin. Then Corbin saw the compassion in his eyes, realized it was directed at him. Without warning, tears rose in Corbin’s eyes.

“I know Lou Ella’s sickness has been hard on you.”

Heavy emotion pressed like cement on Corbin’s chest. He couldn’t handle this right now. He had to keep his mind focused on keeping Delaney safe. His personal issues would have to wait.

“I think if you’ll just go and see Lou Ella, it’ll help you come to terms with what’s happening to her.”

Corbin sprang to his feet, unwilling to let the avalanche of emotion smother him. “I’m going to check on Delaney,” he said gruffly, turning his back to Pops. He sucked in a breath, brushing at his tears with jerky swipes. “Thanks for taking care of things while I stepped out.” His voice cracked as he fought for control. “Don’t feel like you have to stick around. I know you’ve got plenty of things to take care of.”

He rushed out of the room before Pops could see him lose it.