After the Rain (The Callahans) (2 page)

The little town was picturesque and Kylie found herself smiling. She could see what Faye liked about this place. It was so different from the big city. Somehow, it felt comfortable.

Reaching the front entrance to
Callahan’s
, she pushed the doors open, immediately confronted by a cold breeze from the obviously well working air conditioner. It felt heavenly to her and she breathed in the cool air.

She gazed around the dark room. It was decent sized, with lower watt lighting. Two pool tables were set up in the rear of the room and dining tables and chairs littered the rest of it. A long, mahogany bar graced the North wall. It was lined with leather stools, all of which stood empty.

As far as décor went, the bar was typical. Neon beer signs, sports photos and memorabilia were everywhere. She took in the atmosphere carefully, not realizing she wasn’t alone until she heard a throat clear from the other side of the room. She whirled around and found herself face to face with a large, dark haired figure. Obviously, a man, he seemed to loom above her. She backed up on instinct.

“Can I help you?” his voice asked. He looked her over, curiously, and then folded his arms over his broad chest and waited for her to answer.

“I um…..” Her train of thought vanished and she grimaced. Why did she always have to get so tongue tied around men?

He waited patiently, his brow raised in question.

“I was told I might find Faye Talbot here.”

The man’s gaze narrowed further and then, as though a light went on inside his head, he seemed to relax instantly. “You’re Kylie, aren’t you? The friend from Montana.” He grinned at her easily, as she nodded. “Hell, girl, when was the last time you called home?”

She continued staring at him, dumbly.

“Your parents have Faye in quite an uproar. Everyone’s been looking for you for days now. They think you’re missing.” His smile grew wider. “Glad to hear you’re not.”

Her mother?
She cringed. She’d let her parents know she was taking the trip and would be in touch. What the hell was her mother’s problem? “They reported me missing?”

“I don’t know about them. Faye did. She’s been freaking out for days now.” He gestured to the bar. “Why don’t you come and have a drink? You look like you could use a little H2O.”

“I could,” she agreed, her throat so dry that she could barely swallow. She slid onto a leather stool and watched as the man filled a glass with some ice water. She wondered if he was Dusty Callahan. Faye had told her all about her boyfriend. They had been dating for three years now and lived together. They also ran the family restaurant for the most part, though the whole Callahan family had a hand in things.

The oldest of three brothers and a sister, Dusty was thirty-four, with dreamy dark eyes and jet-black hair. Those were Faye’s exact words to describe her significant other. Kylie knew the Callahan family had Native American roots. The man behind the bar fit that description. That being said, she’d also been warned that there were three other Callahan men and they all looked pretty much the same.

“I’m Dusty,” he said, as though reading her mind. He offered her the water glass and she took it, gratefully. The liquid felt heavenly sliding down her parched throat.

“So that’s your jeep smoking up at Pete’s?”

“It is,” she confirmed, lamely. “Radiator’s leaking.”

“Not uncommon. This heat can be hell on things, too.” He leaned against the bar. “So, Kylie Rhodes, where the hell have you been for the last three weeks? Faye said you weren’t coming.”

She felt her face grow hot. “I wasn’t. It was a last minute decision.”

He stared at her in a way that made her mildly uncomfortable. She forced herself to stare back and in that moment, she knew he knew all about her. Faye had obviously not left much of her sordid past out.

“Is she around?” she finally asked, unable to take the pity in his eyes. She’d gotten a lot of that during her lifetime. People found it hard not to feel sorry for a pathetic, little, defenseless girl who had managed to live through the unthinkable. But she wasn’t that pathetic little girl anymore. She was an adult now—an adult who had worked hard to get past her emotional problems.

“She’s due in anytime. She’ll want to take you back to the house and get you settled in. You probably want to clean up after being stuck in a car all this time.”

“Actually, I was planning to get a room at a motel,” she said, not wanting to sound rude, but at the same time, not wanting to impose upon them.

“Nah. We have tons of room. Faye will want to catch up on things with you.” He picked up a white towel and wiped down the bar. “She’s missed you for a long time.”

She smiled at that. “I’ve missed her too.”

“I knew it!” The doors to the bar whipped open and banged against the wall behind them. Faye Talbot let out a whoop as she ran across the room and made a grab for Kylie before she could move. Faye’s arms wrapped around her tightly, nearly hugging the life out of her. “Where in the hell have you been?” She backed up, her brown eyes round with worry. “You scared the living daylights out of me!”

Smiling, Kylie took in her friend’s appearance. She’d gained a few pounds over the years, though she was by no means fat. Her skin was tanned and complimentary to her dark brown curls. She looked healthy and happy. Kylie was glad for that. Clearly, the move to Arizona had been a good one for Faye—in more ways than one.

“Well?” Faye prodded, still holding Kylie’s hands tightly. “Do you know what kind of things went through my mind when your mother called me? Hell, she’s terrified, Kylie.”

Kylie felt her skin warm, knowing Dusty Callahan was hearing all this. “Calm down, Faye. I’m here now.” She smiled for her friend’s benefit. “You look great.”

Faye looked Kylie over from top to bottom, still frowning. “You look like you’ve lost twenty pounds. You were too thin before.”

Kylie rolled her eyes. “I’m fine,
Mother
.”

Faye frowned. “She’s really worried, Kylie—and for good reason.”

“Don’t.” Kylie said, softly. She squeezed her friend’s hands tightly. “We haven’t seen each other for three years. I don’t want to start off like this. Besides,” she said, forcing a carefree expression onto her face. “I told her I was taking a trip, Faye. I am twenty-five years old. I can do that without asking permission from my mother.”

Faye opened her mouth to say something, but Dusty cut her off. “Why don’t you take off and show Kylie the house? I can get Joe or Elle to help in here until dinner rush. Then I’ll have a full crew covering.”

Kylie didn’t miss the look he gave Faye. Clearly, he was telling her to calm down without saying it out-loud. Faye appeared to get the message because she relaxed a little and smiled again. “You’re going to love this place. It’s so great! The weather’s awesome—hot but awesome. We’ve got a pool out back and horses and a lake not far from the house. We’re going to have so much fun! How long are you staying?”

“I don’t know. My jeep’s giving me some trouble, so I’m not going anywhere for the time being.”

“Damn straight, you’re not. We’ve got tons to catch up on. Besides, you’re a teacher. You have the whole summer off.”

“I have to go home and work on my house at some point, Faye,” Kylie reminded her friend. “And I’ll likely have to look at getting a new car now.”

“There’s plenty of time for that. I’ve missed the heck out of you!” Faye squeezed her tightly again. “I can’t wait to show you around!”

“Don’t forget about dinner tonight,” Dusty reminded her as she dragged Kylie toward the door. He nodded at Kylie and smiled. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she said, easily and she knew she liked Dusty Callahan already.

2

A two door, dark green 4x4 pickup was not the kind of vehicle Kylie would have pegged Faye to own. Back in high school, she’d owned a tiny little 280Z, with pink fuzzy dice that dangled carelessly off of the rearview mirror.

Climbing into the roomy truck, Kylie fastened her seatbelt and blissfully stuck her face in direct line of the air vent.

“Told you it’s hot,” Faye said, turning the radio down.

Kylie looked at her friend closely again. She really did look good. Healthy and vibrant. In three years, a few more lines were visible at the corner of her large almond eyes, but otherwise, her pixie face remained unchanged.

“You really do look good,” Kylie reiterated, smiling as she swiped at her sweaty hair. “I’m embarrassed that I showed up looking so bedraggled.”

“You look fine,” Faye said, nonchalantly. She slipped some sunglasses over her eyes and smiled, mischievously. “So what do you think of him?”

“You mean, Dusty?”

“Of course I mean Dusty. Who do you think I mean?”

Kylie grinned. “He’s nice, Faye. I like him.”

“Isn’t he beautiful?”

Kylie figured the description was accurate enough. She had never used
beautiful
before to describe a man, but Dusty Callahan had something about him that made the word fit—in a masculine kind of way. “How is it that he lives in a town that shares his name?” she finally asked, curiously.

“A great grandfather—I’m not sure how many years ago—helped found the town,” Faye answered. “The name stuck. Pretty cool, huh?”

Kylie nodded in agreement. Not everyone could say they had a town named after their family.

“Anyway, Dusty’s got three brothers that look just like him. We do dinner together at the restaurant every Friday night. They’re great. Elle is too. She’s the only girl. She’s twenty-eight and has a two-year-old baby named Amy. She’s married to Leo.”

Kylie listened as Faye babbled on about her new “family”.

“Trey is the next oldest to Dusty. He lives here in Arizona too. Then there’s Beau. He’s a baseball player. He plays for the Texas Rangers.” Faye sped the truck off the main road and onto a rather bumpy dirt path. “He’s on the road right now, so you won’t meet him right away, unless he gets a break. He was MVP of the league, two years running. Pretty cool, huh?”

Kylie had heard of Beau Callahan, vaguely. “That’s wild.”

“Yeah. He’s a super nice guy. Last but not least, there’s Joey. You’ll meet him in a few minutes. He was at the house when I left earlier. He’s the baby of the family. He works at the restaurant with Dusty and me most of the time. He’s cuter than a button, but watch yourself with that one. He’s got women flocking to him from miles around.”

Kylie grabbed hold of the door as Faye flung the truck into third gear and nearly burned out, leaving a pile of dust in her wake. “What is with your driving? It’s worse than it’s ever been.” She rolled her eyes at her friend and struggled to keep herself from sliding across the seat.

Nonplussed, Faye continued with her prattle. “You are going to love this place, Kyle. You’re never going to want to leave.”

“I have to leave sometime, Faye. I have a job.”

“I had a job too,” Faye said, winking at her. “I was only here for the summer, remember?”

That was true, Kylie recalled. The summer after graduating college, Faye had come here, actually on her way to Phoenix and a new career as a veterinary assistant, only to be sidetracked when she walked into a certain Bar and Grill and set her eyes on a certain bartender. She’d never made it to Phoenix, much to the chagrin of her parents, who had spent thousands putting her through college.

“I have a life to get back to,” Kylie said, firmly.

“Not really. Not according to your mother.”

Kylie rolled her eyes, irritated. Felice Rhodes had managed to cause her nothing but trouble over the past few weeks.

“I heard about Paul.”

Bristling, Kylie shrugged. Her ex-boyfriend wasn’t a hot topic with her these days.

“Cheating bastard,” Faye snapped.

“It wasn’t meant to be.” Kylie flipped a switch and turned up the cold air. “Just drop it, okay?”

“Whatever you say.” They drove in silence for a bit. “You should call your mom, you know. She is worried,” Faye finally said, quietly. “I know you’re mad at her but she was concerned.”

“I should have called her,” Kylie relented. “She’s so intense sometimes. I don’t know…” Kylie’s voice trailed off.

“It’s hard for her too, Kylie. She loves you.”

“I know she does.”

“So what made you take off like you did?”

“I just wanted to see you.” Kylie watched the scenery fly by. “And I needed a change.”

“Because of the thing with Paul,” Faye figured aloud.

“I didn’t love him,” Kylie said, defiantly, then shrugged. “I guess I just didn’t think he’d cheat and bail after two years.”

“Most men are dicks,” Faye said, turning the truck down a private road, lined with white wooden fencing on both sides. “Good riddance to the prick.”

Kylie smiled at that. Paul, her all too perfect, expensive suit wearing, exquisitely coifed, ex-boyfriend, would not appreciate being called a prick. He rarely used language of that nature.

“Check it out,” Faye exclaimed as they cleared a section of fencing and entered what appeared to be a parking area. There were four or five cars parked sporadically around the dirt drive. A large, red barn sat to one side of the fence. Just beyond, was the largest farmhouse Kylie had ever seen. It looked more like a mansion with a warm country style. Each of its windows was framed with large, white shutters. The paint was yellow with white trim. A huge wrap around porch, complete with a porch swing, capped off its elegance perfectly. Immediately, she was in love with the place.

“There’s a pool out back and a guesthouse. Trey lives there.”

Kylie breathed in some air as she gazed around the large area. The yard was filled with palm trees and beauty bark. There was a reasonable area of partially green grass, to the right of the porch. A large jungle gym was set up there and a picnic table sat next to it. The rest of the yard was either dirt or bark.

“It’s hard to keep grass healthy around here. Too dry.” Faye headed up the steps. “The swing set’s for Elle’s little one. She’s over a lot.”

Before Faye could open the door, it swung open on its own and Kylie faced yet another black-haired Adonis. This one was likely Joe, she reasoned, smiling as the man stepped through the doorway. All she could think of was that these boys obviously had very healthy genes. Joey Callahan was just as striking as his brother.