Sunshine and Whiskey: A Garden Falls, TN Romance Read online

  3

  Talia

  He walked me over to where my friends and sister sat. They started in on me as soon as he left the table. I was still appreciating the back view of his muscular frame when the admonishments began.

  “Talia! Why didn’t you say anything? Is that how Caleb had been treating you?” Anna looked horrified. “I know I’ve been out of the loop, given everything with Danny these last several months. But I didn’t know. You could have said something. I would have tried to be there for you.”

  I hugged her close. “You had more than enough to worry about without me complaining about Caleb to you.”

  “Girl, forget Caleb, that bartender is so into you,” Claire fussed. As usual, Claire skipped the past and only looked at the now. “He’s not my type, but he clearly has a thing for you! And you just blew him off without a word!”

  “I didn’t know what to say beyond thanks for saving me from my abusive ex?” I shrugged. “I’m so freaking embarrassed and it’s not like I even really know how to flirt.”

  Caleb had pursued me. I’d never needed to flirt. I didn’t even know how. Not really. The bartender clearly expected me to say something, or do something, though. And I didn’t know where to begin. Shyness had gotten the best of me.

  What if I said the wrong thing? What if I said something stupid? I was prone to that. Well, according to Caleb, anyway. I didn’t want to look like a moron in front of him. He already thought me weak after the way we met, probably.

  I didn’t want to be weak though. I wanted to be the strong, independent woman my mother had raised me to be. The bold, confident woman who didn’t need a man to fulfill me, but perhaps wanted a man for companionship.

  I wanted to be that person.

  I really did. I used to be, before Caleb had shaken my very foundation.

  My eyes drifted over to the bartender more than a few times. The first time we made eye contact, he raised his eyebrows questioningly. The second time our eyes met, he winked. Every glance from him sent fire burning its way up my face. He made me want to be stronger. Somehow, he made me want to be better just by the way he looked at me.

  I kinda liked that.

  Our table soon caught the attention of the single guys in the club. A parade of young men queued up at our side, waiting for a dance, running the gamut from sexy cowboy to preppy jock to too-far-across-the-sleaze-threshold-for-comfort. Karly handed her number out like candy, Claire gave out what I knew to be a fake number, while I was more reserved. I agreed to a few dances, with the most persistent of the non-creepers, but the man I really wanted to dance with stood behind the bar. Anna refused every offer and left early.

  Late in the evening, I slipped away to the restroom. When I returned, Karly and Claire were gone and a waitress was wiping our table clean. I searched all the tables and the dance floor. Only one person looked familiar.

  Crap.

  I slipped onto one of the empty barstools. In fact, it was the same barstool that Caleb had pulled me off of earlier. When the bartender walked over, I asked, “I don’t suppose you saw where my friends went?”

  He stared down at me for a second before answering. “They paid the tab and headed out a few minutes ago. You didn’t know they were leaving?”

  “No.” I sighed. “I went to the bathroom and when I came back, they were gone. We rode together.” My phone was in my purse, locked in Claire’s trunk. I couldn’t even call them to see where they’d gone.

  “Ah… They assumed since I protected you from the asshat that I’ll make sure you get home safely,” he said with confidence, his blue eyes locking on mine.

  “Surely they wouldn’t have…” My voice trailed off as my friends’ intentions clarified in my mind. Lowering my eyes, I cringed in total mortification. Heat blazed up my cheeks. How could they? With a deep exhale, I found the nerve to meet his eyes. “They abandoned me so that I would have to ask you for a ride. I’m so sorry.” Digging in the pocket of my jeans, I pulled out a five and a few crumbled ones. “I have like seven bucks cash on me, so I don’t suppose you’d loan me the money for a cab?”

  He rubbed his neck with one large hand and his blue eyes darkened. “I’ll give you a ride home. Be right back.”

  A longing I didn’t quite understand ached deep within me at the intensity in his eyes. I didn’t even know him. He was so not my normal type. This sudden attraction didn’t make a lick of sense, but damn, his lips on mine sounded good.

  It must be stress. A reaction to how he protected me. Maybe, subconsciously, I was awaiting my chance to swoon into my rescuer’s arms before we rode off into the sunset hand in hand. Or maybe it was just the way he filled out that shirt. Because, my lord. Who knew flannel could be such a turn on?

  True to his word, the big man came back a few minutes later. With his hand on the small of my back as a guide, he directed me out the back door to the service alley behind the club. He led me over to a big black Harley and held out a helmet.

  “Uh…” A motorcycle? Why couldn’t he have a sports car or a truck? Of course, a tattooed bartender would drive a motorcycle.

  The smug look on his face made me want to prove his assumptions wrong. Prove to him that I wasn’t a goody-goody, scared shitless to climb on top of a motor with wheels and fly down the road under someone else’s control.

  “It’s this or you call someone.”

  Screw that. If I could handle the high-speed roller coaster of riding in a car with a drunken Caleb, riding on a motorcycle with a sober, calmer man would be like the carousel ride at the mall. Child’s play. Nothing to be afraid of.

  Snatching the helmet from his outstretched hand, I crammed it on my head. I gave him my address as I fiddled with the strap, trying to figure out how to adjust it. His hands came up to tighten it for me and our fingers brushed. I sucked in a deep breath at his touch. His low chuckle took my spark of anger and kindled it into a blaze of desire. His hand closed over mine for a brief second before he jerked it away. With the street lamps behind him, I couldn’t read his expression, but he stared at me for some time. Finally, he straddled the bike and pulled his own helmet on.

  I climbed on behind him and he started the motor. The sudden roar of the engine startled me, even though I’d been expecting it. Dang, I’d never realized motorcycles were actually that loud. The bike began to move and I clung tight to his broad back. His chest shook with laughter beneath my hands. I relaxed a bit as the bike moved out onto the street and we didn’t crash. I slid my arms around his waist and started to enjoy the ride, to enjoy the feel of holding a man.

  I’d never been on a motorcycle before. Had never wrapped my arms around a complete stranger like this before, either. I didn’t even know his name. But I knew the strength in his muscles and the rhythm of his breathing. When I hugged him tighter, my fingers slipped through the button placket on his shirt. Instead of removing my hand, I combed through the light tangle of hair on his chest, surprising myself with my boldness. His hand dropped back to squeeze mine for a moment, but he didn’t pull my hand away.

  The fastest way to take me home would have been to get on the bypass and get off at the exit by the lake. But he turned down Church Street and drove past all the beautiful old murals I loved. When he made the turn onto Lake Street, the fresh breeze coming off the lake hit me head on.

  This was home. I’d thought, ever so briefly, about leaving town, going out into the world and making my mark. But I could never leave this place. My ancestors had settled this town. Before it was Garden Falls, the town had been called Richmond, after my family. Some ninety years ago, when the state park had been established, the town voted to rename the town after the falls, to try and take advantage of the tourism potential. Hadn’t really worked, but the name change stuck. There’d been a Richmond family in this town for as long as there’d been a town. One day, I might marry. My name might change. But I wouldn’t be the one to end that legacy.

  A shiver worked its way down my spine as the breeze blew through th
e thin t-shirt I wore. I shifted closer to the man in front of me, trying to absorb some of his body heat.

  The ride ended too soon when he rolled the Harley to a stop in front of my house. I stumbled getting off the bike, but he caught me, thankfully, before I could face-plant on the sidewalk. He even walked me up to the door and waited behind me on the porch while I tried to unlock the door. My trembling hands dropped the keys and he bent to grab them before I could react.

  “My name’s Sean, by the way.” He unlocked the door and handed my keys back.

  “Sean.” I let his name roll off my tongue and decided I liked the way it felt on my lips. “That’s a very nice name. It fits you. I’m Talia.”

  He leaned one broad shoulder against the wall by the door and stared down at me. Shadows hid part of his face, but his eyes glittered in the dim light. Sean’s chest rumbled with a deep chuckle. “Would you have said the same thing if I’d told you that my name was Bruno?”

  A giggle snuck out. Bruno? Not a chance Bruno would fit him.

  “I’ve got to get back to work. Will you be okay here if that guy follows you home?”

  “He won’t come here and try anything. It looks like my dad’s home anyway.” I nodded toward the massive truck taking up most of the driveway. The sign on the door couldn’t be read in the dark of the evening, but the construction logo on the side was as familiar to me as my own reflection. “I moved back in with my parents after Caleb and I broke up.”

  “Good.” Sean reached over and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. Despite the gentleness in his touch, my muscles tightened and I flinched away, involuntarily. He retracted his outstretched hand and whispered, “You don’t have to be afraid of me. Unlike some guys, I don’t hit women.”

  I nodded, but it wasn’t like I could control my physical reaction. The hurt flashing across his handsome face sent a flutter of regret through my very being. Sean himself didn’t scare me, but men were unpredictable. I’d learned that lesson the hard way. Sean didn’t start back toward his bike until I stepped inside and the deadbolt clicked. I watched from the front window as he sat on the Harley and stared at my door for a few long minutes before starting his bike.

  If I’d been less of a chicken, I’d have marched down that sidewalk and put my lips to his. Found out just how he tasted. That’s what the feisty heroines in my romance novels would have done. But I wasn’t feisty. I used to be. But not anymore. Caleb had taken my spunk. He’d used my sass against me so much that I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. So, instead of being bold, I hid behind a curtain and watched my sexy protector ride away into the night.

  4

  Sean

  I groaned when the blonde at the end of the bar called my name, pulling me away from my book. Damn, just when it was getting good. She blew me a kiss and waved me over, her high-wattage teeth gleaming unnaturally bright in her fake-tanned face. Her hungry gaze focused on my crotch and my cock shriveled up in protest. Her giggling friend looked like she might achieve lift-off if she flapped those fake lashes any faster. Those two whores, they never got a clue.

  Every damn week, one of them would come on to me. When the brunette adjusted her cleavage and licked her lips, staring me down like I was a juicy steak, I plastered on a smile and walked over to take their drink orders. She leaned over the bar and gave me a nice view down her dress. Now, I didn’t mind a little window shopping, but I wasn’t interested in buying. Not when I’d seen the amount of men they’d gone home with since they found my club. If pressed, I’d admit that I was guilty of encouraging them with an occasional wink, repeat business and all. But time would show who the slutty duo took home tonight. Neither ever went home alone, but they sure as fuck wouldn’t go home with me. I wasn’t nearly that fucking desperate.

  I extracted myself from the brunette’s tentacles and went to pour their drinks.

  “Jack, would you stab me if I put you on that end of the bar for the rest of the evening?”

  “It wouldn’t help and you fucking know it.” Jack nudged me and grinned. “They aren’t interested in me, big guy. They’ve only got eyes for you. Take one of them home. Loosen up a little. Hell, if you smile just right, you might be able to take them both home. Two-for-one special.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.

  “Two years of self-imposed celibacy isn’t enough to risk playing STD roulette with those two. You take one home.”

  “I’m not that desperate either. And fuck you for thinking I am.” He kicked my ankle. “Besides, they don’t ever look at me the way they look at you.”

  “Well, they can just keep dreaming because I ain’t going there.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “And stop calling me ‘big guy’, would you?”

  Carrying the two dirty martinis down to the waiting pair, I braced myself. I slid the drinks across the hardwood bar and tried not to wince when the blonde blew me another kiss. The brunette pushed a napkin with a fire engine red lipstick kiss and her number on it into my hand. I sighed and shook my head. At least they bought drinks when they flirted.

  “Barracuda #2 gave me her number tonight. You want it?” I waved the napkin in front of Jack’s eyes.

  “Hell no. You know she’s not my type. Too slutty. Too fake and entirely too stupid.” Jack shoved my hand away with a laugh and went back to pouring drinks.

  Tossing the napkin in the trash, I looked out over the dancers swaying on the hardwood. Seeing no issues on the dance floor, I turned my focus to the booths around the edge of the club. The bouncers stood by the door bullshitting. Not much drama going on tonight, and I hoped it stayed that way.

  Was that…? Sauntering past Jack to the other end of the bar, I got a better look at the woman who caught my attention. A pretty redhead sat at one of the booths. But it wasn’t Talia.

  “Saw that, boss man. You about to get your flirt on?” Jack nudged me with an elbow.

  I rolled my eyes at the ‘boss man’. He was going to make me bust a bottle over his damn head one of these days. “You know, I just might if I had someone competent enough to mix drinks and not pour half my liquor across my bar.”

  “That was one time. And if you’d been pouring, you’d have done the same damn thing if a sexy blonde stripped her dress off not ten feet away.” Jack’s indignance rolled off him in waves.

  I laughed. He was probably right about that. It had been a long time since I’d seen a naked woman in person.

  When the drink orders were caught up, Jack slapped me on the shoulder and pushed me toward the back. “You know damn well I can handle the bar on a busier night than this. Go on. Make nice with the pretty lady. You’ve been alone too long, asshole. Hell, we both have.”

  That wasn’t the pretty lady I wanted to make nice with though. I shook my head at Jack. “I’m thinking her boyfriend wouldn’t like that.” I pointed at the man who’d just walked up and was kissing the woman I’d thought was Talia.

  “Probably not.” Jack stopped laughing mid-chuckle and winced, his eyes locked on the dance floor behind me. “Oh fuck.”

  I turned and the hair on my neck stood up. Oh fuck was right.

  “Fight!” someone shouted.

  I waded through the shoving bodies toward the two idiots fighting on my dance floor. Things had been too quiet. I should have known something would fuck it up.

  5

  Talia

  The warm spring day had faded into a crisp cool night. I walked down the beach and glanced back to where my brother, Zane, and his friends had built a bonfire a ways down the beach from our parents’ lakefront house. He’d been insisting for days that I join them for the party. Just earlier he’d told me, "Sis, you need to relax. It'll do you some good to loosen up a bit. It should be a blast tonight. Come on, hang out with us!"

  Not really in the party mood, I agreed to go anyway. I needed to get back out there. I hadn’t socialized much since my breakup. And a bonfire with my brother sounded like a safe way to start.

  I’d walked down to the beach and found Zane, his friends, and their gir
lfriends. They'd built a huge fire and had dragged some logs up around it for seats. My brother's goofy friends soon teased a smile onto my face. But after a few hours of chatting and laughing with them, they were pairing off, and I really needed some alone time. My introvert soul cried out for solitude. I walked down the beach away from the bonfire. This quiet stretch of sand had been my solace these last few months as I struggled to re-invent myself after a much-needed, but also life-altering, breakup. The soft slap of the water against the sand and stones soothed my frayed nerves and helped me think.

  The cool night air put a slight damper on the evening, but it couldn't keep my spirits down. I looked up at the sky, the moon full and bright. A shooting star twinkled past and I made a wish. Caleb wouldn’t have liked me wishing on a star. It was nice to be myself and not have to worry something I said would set Caleb off. The weight lifted from my shoulders—once I’d removed him from my life—made me feel ten pounds lighter.

  Caleb had taken so much from me. The hopes I'd had for the future, my goals. He'd made me second-guess everything. When we'd started dating, I'd had a plan. At the end of last year, my grades were in the toilet and I got kicked out of the nursing program. The last few months had been spent figuring out just who Talia Richmond was now.

  But I still didn’t know what else I might want to do with my life. I’d planned to be a nurse for so long it was hard to see myself as anything else.

  I walked just out of reach of the slapping water, lost in thought. Where would my future lead now? Not watching my step, I slipped in a puddle and sank a bit in the soft sand. I stopped for a moment to tug my shoe free.

  The tiny hairs at the back of my neck prickled and the sensations of eyes on me made my skin crawl. Wrapping my arms tight around myself, I suppressed a shudder. When I looked up, I gulped as the profile of a man emerged from the shadowy darkness. The moonlight behind him emphasized the breadth of his shoulders. Hands in his pockets, he ambled up the beach toward me. My breath caught in alarm and a shiver went down my spine. I glanced back at the group crowded around the bonfire. I had walked farther than I’d realized. If I screamed, could anyone even hear me? The drumming of my heart seemed louder than the waves crashing against the sand. My stomach lurched up into my throat as he neared. I couldn't breathe.