Hammer's Fall (The Breakers' Bad Boys) (21 page)

Zoe crossed her arms over her chest, irritated by his tone. “And I told you that I’d drive myself. Niki and I came early to help set up, unlike some people.”

“You and Nikita rode those crotch rockets over here, didn’t you?”

She rolled her eyes and looked over at Kalista, Evie and Madeline to explain. “He just says that because I won’t let him ride my BMW bike. And if anyone touched Niki’s Ducati, she’d kill them.”

“That woman is scary,” Storm muttered.

“Leave the girls alone,” Madeline ordered. “You’d think the lot of you were in kindergarten the way you poke at each other.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’re reporting for duty,” Storm said, changing the subject. “I’m on call, but I’m here to help out however I can.”

Evie smiled. “And we can certainly use you.”

“Come with me, you handsome young devil,” Maddy said linking her arm through his.

“Maddy, my love. When are you going to leave Tony and run away with me?”

“Dude, that’s my mom,” Jared grumbled, making them all laugh.

Maddy, Storm and Evie walked away with Zoe and Dante a few steps behind as they continued to bicker. Jared wrapped his arms around Kalista, pulling her out of the way as people started heading over to the table of sweets.

“I thought you were going to help me set up this morning,” Kalista said as she stared at his chest. He lifted her chin using a finger so she was looking at him. Her heart wrenched when she saw the love shining in his dark eyes, and her nerves settled a little.

“I’m sorry, baby. I had some stuff to do early this morning that took longer than I thought it would. I hated leaving you in bed. Trust me when I say I’d rather have woken up with you and driven you over myself. I know this wasn’t the best way to start off Valentine’s Day, but I promise that I will make it up to you later.”

“I’ll look forward to that.” He brushed his lips against hers and she blushed as she noticed all the people watching them. “We have an audience.”

“We do. Looks like half the town is here already,” he agreed after he looked around. He winked at her. “They’re just trying to figure out how I got so lucky.”

“Yeah, right.”

“It’s true.” He kissed her again, hard and fast. “Now, put me to work, woman.”

She was smiling as she led him over to the tables of sweets where there was already a line of people. Kalista laughed when Jared grinned at her as he put on one of the pink Sinfully Sweet aprons over his clothing, completely at ease wearing the girlie color. She answered questions people had about what they were offering, and she had to admire the easy way Jared talked with the guests. There was a moment or two that had her stiffening up when a group of pretty young women stopped by the table to flirt with Jared, but he easily brushed aside their efforts.

Observing him covertly gave Kalista time to reflect on what she wanted to say to him once they were alone. He was standing at one of the other tables, and she watched as he casually stepped away from a woman who reached out to touch his arm.

In that moment she had an epiphany. 

The move had been as automatic as it was when he leaned down and kissed the top of her head whenever he passed by her. He didn’t do it because he knew she was watching. He did it because that was who he was. For the last few days Kalista had been worried about the possibilities of what would happen with their relationship based on what other people had done to her in the past.

Jared was a man of his word. Smart, caring, and wickedly passionate, he was all hers. He loved her, but instead of focusing on that she’d been worried about all the reasons that he shouldn’t. For some reason she had never understood why he had chosen to be with her, and that had been clouding how she viewed their relationship. He had never given her any reason to doubt him, and yet she was treating him like he had.

Feeling a new sense of awareness, Kalista turned to face him and felt her lips curve into a smile. She loved Jared, and she wouldn’t let her own insecurities get in the way of that any longer. When the talked later she would tell him that she would love to move in with him, and that she didn’t want him to go. She knew it was a great opportunity for him, and if he really wanted to do it she would be supportive, but she would tell him how she felt before he made his decision.

Jared cast a glance her way and smiled, then looked back at the person he was talking to. He froze in place then looked back at her, his eyes darkening with an inner fire that thrilled her because she knew without a doubt it was all for her. When he walked away from the woman he had been talking to without another word, she was sure he could see all the love she felt for him shining in her eyes.

He pulled her to him and captured her mouth in a scorching kiss. Kalista’s arms wrapped around his neck, holding on as he dipped her backwards over his arm in what felt like a brilliant replica of the quintessential Hollywood kiss. Lost in each other, Kalista and Jared became aware of the crowd clapping and cheering around them at the same time. She held onto his arms as he lifted her back onto her feet, holding her steady when her knees threatened to buckle.

“You can’t look at me like that in public and not expect me to kiss you silly,” he growled softly.

“Maybe that was my master plan,” Kalista teased, loving the smile he gifted her in return.

“Go on you two, get out of here for a bit and take a break. All your hot and sexy vibes are melting the frosting,” Becca quipped as she shooed them from the tent.

Kalista was amazed when she got her first real look at the success of the event as she walked hand-in-hand with Jared around the grounds. She smiled as she saw several empty cages with signs on them stating that the former inhabitants had found a new home. There were several more dogs that wore bright red collars with the word “adopted” printed on them.

“Those dogs have someone who wants to adopt them,” Hunter explained when Kalista asked. He had strolled over to join her and Jared as they walked around. It made her sad when Kalista noticed that he always kept the side with his burns facing away from her. “They’ve filled out the paperwork and stuff, but we need to do a home visit before we hand over the dog so we schedule a time to do that next week.”

“What about the dogs that are already gone?”

Hunter smiled. “Some of those went home with people who have adopted from us before, and some are people that we know well. If they have another pet, we either encourage them to bring them with so one of our staff can see how they interact or they have to wait until we can do a home visit.”

“We send a staff member out to check out the house of the local adopters if they wanted to take the dog with them today,” Evie said as she walked up to join them. “I just got back from a run over to the Hollister house. Everything is set, and the paperwork is in the office. Those kids loved that puppy so much I couldn’t make them wait.”

“You’re a soft touch, cuz,” Hunter said, then he grunted as she slapped his flat stomach.

“Shut up, you hard ass.”

“My family,” Jared said as he put his arm around Kalista, pulling her close. “Aren’t we a docile bunch?”

Hunter snorted at that. “More like dysfunctional if you ask me.” He turned as someone called his name, then looked back at Kalista and Jared for a second.

“Good luck with everything,” he said, and then he wandered off.

“Idiot,” Evie muttered. Before she could leave, too, Jared stopped her.

“Hey, Evie. A friend of mine is coming into town soon. His name is Daryk Nyght. Can you reserve a room for him at the boarding house?”

Evie choked on a laugh. “Daryk Nyght? Who the hell is this guy, Batman?”

Hammer grinned. “We used to call him the Dark Nyght when I was still in the service. His family are the Nyghts from Atlanta, you know that big international law firm?”

“You mean Nyght and Bristow? Wow, and he was in the Army with you?”

He sobered. “He’s actually a trauma surgeon. The guy is crazy and used to go out with the special teams. He’s been through some pretty rough shit lately, and he’s retiring. Needs somewhere quiet to recover.”

Her eyes went soft with understanding. “Sure, I can set him up. Just send me the info when he’ll be coming to town, and I’ll arrange it.”

“Thanks,” Hammer said as he playfully ruffled her hair. “You’re the best.”

“All the boys say so,” she quipped with a wink, slapping his hand away.

Hammer snorted. “Get out of here, brat.”

Evie walked away, leaving Hammer and Kalista to wander over toward where the puppies were kept. She let out a gasp as she gripped his arm. “Oh no! Jared, Ranger isn’t here!”

“He’s not?”

Tears prickled at the back of her eyes. “No. He always comes over to greet me when I come to visit. Look. I don’t see his little white paws.”

“Someone must have adopted him.”

Kalista noticed that Jared shifted uncomfortably, and she thought it must be because he was worried she was going to burst into tears. Honestly, she felt like she just might. Pulling herself together, she let out a shaky breath and said, “Well, as long as he has a good home now, that’s all that matters.”

He hugged her. “I’m sure he has a great home.”

The rest of the day lost some of its shine as Kalista went back to work in the food tent. She knew she should have been happy that Ranger found a good home with someone, but she had loved the little guy. Part of her was angry that she hadn’t adopted him before today, which meant it was her fault, but another part of her was irritated that Evie and the others hadn’t kept him for her like they said they would.

Jared disappeared for a while with Nate when he and Anna finally showed up. Kalista was happy to hear that the bakery had been packed all day, but the staff had everything in hand so Anna told her not to worry. When the event drew to a close, several of Jared’s friends helped her pack the trays and coolers back into the van. Although the men looked dark and dangerous they were very kind to her, and she liked them a great deal.

“I’ve got this,” Becca said when Kalista told her she was going to go home with Jared. “I’ll drive the van back and close the bakery tonight, so I don’t want to see you back there. It’s Valentine’s Day, and I don’t have a man like you do. Go enjoy for the both of us.”

Kalista hugged her goodbye, then climbed onto Jared’s bike behind him. She put on the helmet he gave her, then wrapped her arms around his waist as he took off down the road. On the drive to his house she had time to think about what she wanted to say to him since she was wearing a helmet and he wasn’t.

All those thoughts fled her head as soon as he pulled the bike into his driveway. Shock filled her as she saw the huge wooden fence that now covered a large portion of his yard off of the garage. She was speechless as he helped her off of the bike, unable to believe what she was seeing and barely noticed the unfamiliar car parked in front of house.

She took off the helmet. “Jared, what—”

He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. “Just give me a minute and I’ll explain everything.”

Hammer took her hand after she nodded, and he hoped that she couldn’t feel how clammy his palm was as he led her toward the front door. It opened before he could use his key, and his friend Sam stepped out.

“Everything is good to go. Hi, Kali. Later.”

Sam quickly walked to her car and got in as Hammer pulled Kali into the house with him. Earlier at the rescue center, he’d felt like the biggest bastard alive when he saw the tears in Kali’s eyes after she realized that Ranger was missing from the puppy pen. He’d wanted to tell her not to worry, but that would have ruined his plans. He’d felt the distance between them since he’d gotten back from Vegas, and he knew she could feel him keeping secrets from her.

Never in his life had he imagined that it would be so difficult to keep things from another person as it was keeping things from his little fairy. He didn’t like anything between them, even if it was only temporary.

That made this moment even more important.

Confusion filled Kalista as he shut the front door and locked it before dragging her with him through the kitchen, into the mudroom and out the side door. Two exuberant little pit bull puppies ran up to greet them as soon as they stepped out in to the yard.

“Ranger!” Kali cried as she fell to her knees and hugged the little gray dog. Her laughter filled the air as he licked her face, and she looked up to find Jared sitting next to her on the ground, holding a pretty brindle puppy. Ranger ran over to Jared and he picked up the puppy, stroking his fur as the little female dog came over to Kalista with her tag wagging.

Kalista picked up the puppy and looked around the yard in disbelief. Where a few days ago there had just been open land, Jared had built a sturdy wooden fence enclosing a large area. In the far back was a small child-sized pool and an agility course that included a teeter board, an open round tunnel, a jump bar, an agility A-frame, and a raised dog walk for the puppies to play on.

“How…?”

“This is what I was doing yesterday, and Hunter brought the little ones over early this morning.” He nodded his head to the puppy in her lap. “I thought Ranger needed a friend and that little girl seemed smitten with him, so I thought we should adopt them both. That is Tinkerbell.”

She burst out laughing. “You got a fairy to keep Ranger company?”

“It seemed fitting,” he said with a grin, then a serious expression settled over his face as he fiddled with Ranger’s collar. “Go to Mommy,” he ordered as he set the dog back onto the ground.

Dutifully, Ranger ran back over to Kali, and she smiled as she reached out to pet him. Her hand froze mid-air and it started shaking when she saw the ribbon attached to Ranger’s collar that had been tied into a pretty bow. The puppy sat there patiently with his tongue hanging out as if he were waiting for her response.

“Go on,” Jared encouraged. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”

With both hands shaking, Kalista reached out and pulled the ribbon to undo it. The most beautiful ring she had ever seen fell into her hand, and she lost her breath as she looked down at it. It was a large princess-cut diamond with smaller stones surrounding it in an antique looking setting. The ring was something that she would have picked out herself, which made it even more special. The puppies seemed to lose interest in the humans because they ran across the yard and started an impromptu game of tag, but Kalista couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the ring to see where they went.