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Still, he held his breath as he cracked open one of the heavy, wooden doors and peered inside.
His truck was there, and it didn’t appear as if anyone had come near it. He could see only his own footprints in the dirt.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he shoved the door the rest of the way, climbed behind the wheel and fired up the engine. It was a risk to leave the cover of the barn; he could easily be spotted if Charlie happened to be driving by as he pulled out. But he had to make a break for it sometime, and he figured sooner was better than later. The only thing that would stop Charlie from searching for him was finding him, and Brant couldn’t let that happen until he was home.
Once he’d backed out, Brant didn’t bother to close the barn. There was no time for that. He did the fastest three-point turn he’d ever done and tore down the drive.
His truck bounced and swayed over the ruts and rocks until he reached the pavement, but then he punched the gas.
He looped around town, going the opposite way he expected Charlie to be traveling and avoiding all the businesses in Coyote Canyon in the process. He was keeping an eye out for his friend’s Explorer while trying to decide what he’d tell Charlie if theydidencounter each other. If he tried to justify his actions by saying that what had happened between him and Talulah didn’t mean anything, that it was only a fling, why couldn’t he have had that fling with someone else? Someone Charliedidn’thave any feelings for?
Brant wrestled with the answer to that question. She just...had this...magnetism, was more desirable than anyone he’d ever encountered, and he couldn’t seem to get enough of her.
Was that what had gotten the best of Charlie? Could Averil be right? Brant had gone back to Talulah’s even after being warned that he was playing with fire.
Was he falling into the same trap his best friend had never escaped?
The thought made Brant uneasy. Of course he wasn’t. He knew how to take care of himself, how to keep his emotions out of it. He’d always remained in control.
And yet...he couldn’t have stopped himself from touching Talulah last night, even for Charlie, and he knew it.
Talulah held her breath so she could hear more clearly and pressed her ear to the front door. After throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank top, she’d slid her feet into her flip-flops. Then she’d brushed her teeth, combed her hair and hurried downstairs to let Kurt in. But the second her hand touched the knob, she’d heard voices and stopped. At first she’d thought Kurt was talking to Brant, that Brant hadn’t gone out the back way, after all. He’d only left five minutes ago, except she could make out enough of what was being said to rule that out almost immediately.
“What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re sleeping with her, too.”
That was Charlie. She recognized his voice and the bitterness that oozed through it. From what she could tell, he was standing about ten feet away from the door—maybe coming up the walkway?
“The portable air conditioner we’re letting Talulah borrow isn’t working,” Kurt said. By the sound of his voice, he was closer to the door. Talulah assumed he’d been waiting for her to let him in when Charlie turned down the drive. “I came by to see if I could fix it before it gets too hot today.”
“So where’s Brant? Why didn’t he do it?”
“I guess he’s busy.”
Talulah had to hand it to Kurt. He affected the perfect careless tone, as if there was nothing going on.
“On the ranch?” Charlie pressed.
“Far as I know.”
“I looked for his truck in the drive earlier. It wasn’t there.”
Talulah heard the skepticism in Charlie’s voice and hoped Kurt would be able to convince him.
“Maybe he drove to the lower paddock,” Kurt responded. “Or he went out to get more feed. Why? What’s the emergency?”
There was a moment of silence. Then Charlie said, “No emergency. I’ve just been thinking about what you told me—that Brant had a concussion Saturday night. I feel bad about how I acted.”
“You feel bad? That’s why you’re here?”
“Not exactly,” Charlie replied. “I thought... Well, when I couldn’t find him, I thought... Never mind. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Neither do I,” Kurt said as if he was exasperated. “You need to get over Talulah, man. Why let her mess up your life fourteen years after the fact?”
She heard Charlie say, “I know you’re right. But that’s easier said than done.”
“What’s so special about her?” Kurt asked.
Stung by the question, Talulah felt her mouth drop open.
