Buckhorn Brothers: Casey Part 16

c.o.c.king one eyebrow, Sawyer looked to Casey for an introduction. Casey stared at his father hard, trying to prepare him. "Dad, you remember Emma Clark."

The other eyebrow lifted to join the first. Sawyer still held her hand and now he enclosed it in both of his. If he'd been surprised, he quickly covered it up. "Emma, of course I remember you. It has been a long time. How've you been?"

"Just great." B.B. charged up next to her, with G.o.dzilla in hot pursuit. "Casey said it was okay to let him run."

Sawyer admired the dog for a moment, then nodded. "He's fine, and obviously he doesn't mind the children."

"B.B. loves kids, He's very careful with them."

"He's a beautiful animal." Sawyer released Emma and gestured to the porch. "We were just taking a break. Would you like something to drink?"

She glanced at Casey. "We were going out on the boat..."

"There's time. I need to change anyway."

She pushed her sungla.s.ses to the top of her head and nodded. "Then yes, thank you. I'd love to visit for a few minutes."

Casey was amazed at her. He'd expected her to be uncomfortable, maybe embarra.s.sed. Instead, she waved to Honey, strolled right up to the porch and began greeting everyone with a new confidence that was both surprising and appealing. Any awkwardness she'd felt as a youth was long gone.

Sawyer shot Casey a look filled with questions.

"She's in town to see her father."

"The h.e.l.l you say? After all this time? It's been...what? Over eight years."

"Dell's had a stroke."

"I heard." In a small town, news traveled fast. "He'll be okay?"

"Doc Wagner seemed to think so." They were still in the yard, out of earshot from the others. Casey rubbed the back of his neck, struggling with how much he wanted to say. But he'd always been able to talk to his dad and now more than ever he wanted to share his thoughts. "About when she left..."

Sawyer clasped Casey's shoulder. "I didn't think we'd ever see her again. I worried about that girl for a long time." He searched Casey's face. "I know you did too."

There was no denying that. Though he'd tried to hide it, his father knew him too well to be fooled. "You know..." He glanced up at Sawyer. "We all a.s.sumed the same things back then, with how Dell dropped her off here, and her bruised face, the way she was crying."

"But?"

"But seeing her with him today, I realized we a.s.sumed too much."

Sawyer gazed toward the porch where the women and Morgan gathered. "How's that?"

"I took her to the hospital today to visit him."

Again, Sawyer lifted his dark eyebrows. "When did she get to town?"

"Last night."

"And you're already chauffeuring her around?"

"It's not like that. We're..."

Sawyer waited.

"h.e.l.l, I don't know." He could just faintly hear Emma speaking on the porch, her tone friendly and natural. He watched her, saw the easy way she held herself, how she greeted Morgan and Misty. He shook his head. "I had a time of it, convincing her to let me hang around. She's different now, but how I feel about her is the same."

"How do you feel about her?"

Casey scowled. "I'm not sure, all right? I just... Seeing her again made me realize how much I'd missed her." He was starting to feel sixteen again, waiting for his father to give him another lecture on the importance of rubbers.

"Nothing wrong with that."

Casey shifted uncomfortably. "Her car broke down on the way into town last night. Gabe fixed it for her this morning, but she needed to visit her dad early so she could catch Dr. Wagner. I drove her, then waited around. And d.a.m.n, listening to her with her father, well, things aren't as they always seemed."

"Honey is waving at us. Maybe you better catch me up later." They started toward the porch, but halfway there Sawyer asked, "Do you know what you're doing, Case?"

"Yeah." He frowned. "At least I think I do."

"Will Emma be moving back home?"

He shook his head. "She says not. She has her own business in Chicago, and some very close friends there."

"So she's only here for a spell?"

Not if he could help it. "I don't know."

"But you want her to stay?" Sawyer didn't wait for an answer. "Maybe we can help. As for her father, I'd planned to pay her folks a visit anyway, to see if there was any way I could help."

"I'll go with you when you do."

Morgan eyed them both when they finally started up the wooden porch steps. Because he'd spent some time hunting for Emma after she'd run away, Casey had no doubt he was bursting with questions. But Morgan would never deliberately make a woman uncomfortable.

Emma had already been seated in a rattan rocker across from Honey. She'd slipped her feet out of her sandals and had her toes curled against the sun-bleached boards of the porch.

Morgan said, "Why don't you take my boat. It hasn't been out in a while."

"All right." He peered at Emma, trying to read her expression. "Maybe I can talk Emma into skiing."

Emma held up her hands. "Oh no. I need to get used to the boat first before I try anything out of the boat."

Misty crossed her arms over the railing. "I finally learned how to ski, but I look pathetic when I do."

Morgan bit her ear. "You look s.e.xy."

Rolling her eyes, Misty said, "Morgan is starting to drool, so I guess we better get going."

"A date with my wife," Morgan rumbled. "That doesn't happen very often."

Hands clasped together, forehead puckered, Emma came out of her seat. "Before you go, could I talk to you just a minute? I mean, all of you?"

Everyone stared. Casey held his breath.

Making a face, Emma said, "I'm sorry to hold you up, but since you're all here, I figured it'd be a good time to apologize." She sneaked a quick look at Casey. "And don't tell me it's not necessary, because it is to me."

"d.a.m.n it, Em..." He took a step up the porch stairs toward her.

Morgan laced his arms around Misty and pulled her back into his chest. "Well now, I suppose we've got a few minutes to spare."

Misty snorted. "And the curiosity is probably killing him."

"Casey's right." Honey leaned forward in her chair. "You don't owe us anything at all. But if you want to talk..."

With his hand on the back of Honey's chair, Sawyer said, "I'm curious too. Where'd you go the night you ran off?"

Casey glowered at his family. He thought about just flinging Emma over his shoulder, as he'd done to Shohn, and carrying her off. But that'd probably shoot any chance he had of getting on her good side. He could tell this was important to her, so he locked his jaw and waited.

Emma turned to Morgan first. "My father told me that you looked for me after I took off. I'm sorry that I put you to that trouble by not explaining better when I left, and I'm especially sorry that any of you worried about me. Kids do dumb things, and that night it didn't occur to me that any of you might worry."

Because no one had ever worried about her before? Casey didn't like that probability, but he knew it was likely true.

She turned to Sawyer next. "I never dreamed that you'd actually look for me."

"We just wanted to know for certain that you were okay."

Honey agreed with her husband. "You were awfully young to go off on your own."

"I know. And I appreciate your concern." Her cheeks dimpled with her smile. "It's why I came here that night, because I knew you'd be nice and that you'd understand. I'm sorry I took advantage of you."

"Enough apologies," Misty said. "Morgan likes to fret a it's why he's a sheriff a and Sawyer's no better. They're both mother hens. Obviously you and Casey have made up now, so all's well that ends well."

Casey took that as his cue to move to her side. Without confirming or denying Misty's statement, Emma said, "Thank you."

But Morgan wasn't ready to let it go. "So where'd you disappear to?"

Misty gave him a frown, which he ignored.

"Chicago. I met some very nice people who helped me figure out what I wanted to do. I finished up school and started my own business. Things have been great."

Bemused, Casey could only stare at her. If he hadn't heard the full story a or rather, a less condensed version a he would have believed her life to be a bed of roses. d.a.m.n, she was good at covering up. He'd have to remember that.

"What kind of business do you have?" Honey asked.

"Ma.s.sage therapy. I have my own small studio."

"OhmiG.o.d," Misty enthused. "I know women in town who drive weekly into Florence for a ma.s.sage. They'll be all over you if they find out."

"Not that Misty needs to leave home for that sort of thing," Morgan stated, while rubbing her shoulders. Misty just smiled.

"Are you going to be in town long?" Honey asked.

"I'm not sure yet."

Casey caught her hand and laced his fingers with hers. He didn't want to hear about her leaving when she'd only just come home. "We have to get going."

"I thought you wanted to change."

"I will, but I figured we'd swing into the apartment on our way down to the lake." The house overlooked the lake, and from the back, it wasn't too far to walk to reach the sh.o.r.e. Casey's apartment above the garage was on the way, so he decided to just drag Emma along with him. The quicker he got her alone, the better.

"All right." Emma finished off her gla.s.s of tea. After slipping her sandals back on, she thanked Honey again.

"Will you be back in time for lunch?" Honey wanted to know.

If things worked out as he hoped, they'd spend the rest of the day together. "We'll grab something on the lake, but thanks." Casey hugged the women, said farewell to the men, and led Emma back to the car so she could get her satchel. They went around the side of the house to the garage apartment. Before Emma could call B.B., he fell into step beside her, along with all the kids. The dog almost looked to be laughing, he'd had such a good time.

"Where ya going?" Garrett asked.

Ruffling his hair, Emma said, "Casey is taking me boating."

Shohn perked up. "How about tubin' us, Case?" Emma looked at Casey in question. She remembered tubing, Casey was sure. At one time or another, just about everyone on the lake had been bounced around on a fat black inner tube, tied with a ski rope and pulled behind the boat. It proved a bruising ride, one guaranteed to get water up your nose and make your body ache. Kids loved it, but most adults had more sense.

Likely Emma's questioning look meant it was up to him whether or not to include the kids.

He voted not. Casey wanted to grab Emma and run like h.e.l.l. Instead, he told Shohn, "How about we save that for another day? Emma hasn't been home in a long time and I want to let her enjoy the ride, not scare her to death with your daredevil antics."

The boys looked downcast, making Casey feel guilty. Then Amber, the oldest of the bunch at a not-quite-mature eleven, elbowed them both. "You can go tubing anytime, dummy. Case has a date."

Shohn slanted a leering look at Casey and grinned like a possum, but Garrett shrugged. "So?"

"So he wants to kiss her. Don't ya, Case?" Shohn made smooching noises while pretending to hold a swooning female.

Emma surprised him yet again by s.n.a.t.c.hing Shohn up close and kissing his cheek and neck until he screamed uncle. Everyone was laughing, Garrett pointing at Shohn, and B.B. jumping around in glee. Amber looked up at Casey, her dark-blue eyes twinkling with enjoyment. He hugged his niece, unable to stop smiling. d.a.m.n, having Emma around was nice. Without even trying, she fit in a into Buckhorn, into his family. Into his heart.

Emma sat down on the bottom step leading up to the rooms over the garage. Casey smoothed his hand over her head. "I'll go change and be right back."

Panting, Shohn sprawled backward across her lap like a sacrifice, his arms spread out, his head almost touching the ground. "Take your time, brother. Take your time."

Emma laughed too hard to answer Casey, but Amber followed him up the steps and through the front door. She helped herself to a drink of water, then flounced onto his sofa while Casey went into the bedroom to change into his trunks.

"I like her," Amber announced, saying it loud so Casey would be sure to hear.

"Me too," Casey called out to her.

"You gonna keep this one?"

Inside his room, Casey chuckled. He remained endlessly amazed at how different his nieces were from the boys. The girls got together and planned, while the boys got together and scuffled. Occasionally the differences were less noticeable, like on holidays when they were all wild little monkeys, but overall the girls were more mature. "She has some say-so in that, you know."

"Daddy doesn't give Mom much say-so. He just picks her up and totes her wherever he wants her to go."

That picture brought about a laugh. Morgan did seem fond of hauling Misty around. 'Course, he'd seen his father toting Honey a time or two as well a whenever she'd fallen asleep on the couch, and several times when his dad had that certain look, which prompted Casey to give them immediate privacy. In Gabe's case, it was as often as not Elizabeth who was dragging Gabe off to bed. Jordan, however, was more subtle. He and Georgia connected with scorching looks that no one could misunderstand.