Page 6 of Honoring Freedom
“Oh, that’s just great,” Freedom’s sun kissed cheeks turned a pale pink.
“Try sleeping when it’s going on all night,” he mumbled while picking up his scattered clothing off the floor and dropping the armful into the laundry basket. “Then again, this could very well be payback. Do you still moan loud enough for people in the next county to hear?”
Her mouth fell open, but not from his words. She was staring at his torso again. There was a time when he felt a bit self-conscious about the scars on his body, but now he wore them proudly as marks from another chapter in his life.
“Got something to say, just say it,” he urged.
“What happened?” She stepped closer and touched the white, puffy scar that was three inches above his waist. He flinched instinctively, and she quickly withdrew her hand as though he had burnt her. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
“Rangers. Shot by enemy fire.” He wasn’t sure why her touch had caused a scorching rippling effect through him. How could she still cause so much of a reaction in his body? Over the years, he’d thought about her, wondered where life had taken her. Thought about all those moments spent out at the lake in each other’s arms as two innocent kids finding their way through love. He laughed when he remembered that man who was a bit gawky, a bit naïve, who gave his heart to the prettiest girl in Sagebrush Pine—only to have it handed back to him at the end of summer bruised and broken. She was still the prettiest girl he’d ever laid eyes on, but he’d matured and grew brains where the ladies were concerned. Enlisting in the military had been an eyeopener. He’d grown up fast, learned how to survive, met friends—those who became family. Wounded, he ended up at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany after being evacuated from the Middle East. Forced into an honorable medical discharge, Keller decided to follow an old dream and go back to college to finish his degree in veterinary medicine. After graduation, he worked on a ranch for years and then he received a call from an old friend of the family, Miloh Vanhoose, who was retiring from Sagebrush Rose and he wanted to find his replacement.
Keller had practically jumped at the chance to speak to Sam Rose about taking the position. By the end of that fifteen-minute phone call, Keller was hired. He looked forward to being in Sagebrush Pine again, living in his childhood home where the memories of his late parents were in abundance. As a kid, he’d always wanted to spread his wings, take flight from the small town, and now he couldn’t be more pleased to return. Funny how life worked.
“It looks terrible.” Freedom was still staring as she walked around him to see if there were more scars that she could examine.
He saw compassion flash in her eyes. He didn’t want her pity, but as he looked closer, he realized it wasn’t pity that he saw in her eyes. She was intrigued. “While you’re back there will you scratch my back?”
“No, I won’t,” she huffed and put distance between them. “We need to come to some kind of compromise. You are pushing boundaries and it’s unfair.”
“You’re right, Freedom. What was I thinking? You’ve convinced me that I should quit the job I haven’t started, pack my bags, and hit the road, and find another dream.”
“That’ll work.” Her eyes gleamed.
“I’m staying. I do have a suggestion though. If you think this situation won’t work, then why don’t you move?” He would have laughed at the incredulous expression on her face if it wasn’t for the fact that nothing about the current situation was funny. His brother was next door getting laid, the pounding and squeaking was hitting a crescendo, and his ex-girlfriend was attempting to order him around. And he had livestock at the ranch that he needed to examine that morning. He didn’t have time for a fight with Freedom. They tended to last until she got her way. Not this time though. “Anything else?”
“You’re unbelievable.” A storm brewed in her eyes.
“You’ve told me that before.”
She tightened her fists into balls. “Are you doing this just to spite me?”
“Not everything revolves around you and your family. One thing you should know, I’m not the same man who followed you around like a puppy. I don’t have time for a spoiled woman. That ship has sailed.”
“You must have a bigger ego than I thought you did if that’s what you think I want. You’re a…a brat!”
He leaned in, catching her scent that reminded him of wildflowers in the spring. He captured one of her wild curls between his fingers and brought the silky tendril to his nose, inhaling the familiar coconut fragrance. Feeling a rush of need sink into his body, he pulled away, allowing the tendril to fall back to her flushed cheek. “Takes one to know one, I suppose.” She stared up at him through the full sweep of thick lashes and her bottom lip trembled. “You best stop looking at me like that or things will get a lot more complicated and a lot hotter at Sagebrush Rose.”
Her lush bottom lip puckered slightly. “Don’t flatter yourself. That ship has sailed, remember?”
“Are we trying to convince each other or ourselves?”
Her eyes darkened. "I believe you're the one wanting history to repeat itself."
“You haven’t changed a bit, have you? Still as spicy as a candied jalapeño.”
“I’ve changed. I no longer find myself entertained by men who are emotionally immature.” Her tone was clipped.
“That’s great because I no longer allow myself to associate with your type.” He strolled past her to the open suitcase that still held his clothes, everything he brought to town with him. He swiped up a shirt and shook out the wrinkles. It didn’t matter what he wore. By noon he’d be sweaty, covered in horse and cow shit, and ready for a shower with a hose.
Keller watched her watching him button his shirt. He wished he didn’t get a rise from her, but she still sparked something in him that he couldn’t quite eradicate.
He lowered his gaze over her and guessed she had changed more than he thought. Physically at least. She had more curves now.
The last button on his shirt popped off, flying across the room. With a sigh, he slipped the buttons back through the holes.
She must have felt a bit sorry for him because she rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a shirt, holding it out to examine if it’d work. “Here.” She held out the chambray. “It’s your first day. You’ll want to look semi-presentable.”
“I thought that only mattered on the first day of kindergarten?” he said with a chuckle. “Anyway, animals don’t care how I look.”