Page 51 of Unexpected Danger
Brodie pulled out a chair, and Londyn took a seat at the table. Mom reached over and squeezed Londyn’s hand. “I'm going to go ahead and go to bed now, but if you need anything, please let me know, and as always, help yourself to anything you need.”
Emotion stirred in Londyn's eyes. “Thank you Aileen, I will. And thank you for allowing me to stay here.”
“Stay as long as you need. We're glad you're back.”
Londyn whispered, “I'm sorry,” before the glint of tears shone on her lashes.
Mom slung an arm around Londyn's shoulder. “No worries at all. I'll see you in the morning.”
Brodie and Londyn sat at the table in silence for a few minutes. Did she feel the magnitude of the thickness of the unspoken words between them just as he did?
“Care to go out on the porch? It's a nice evening.”
“Sure.”
At some point, they would need to tackle the elephant in the room. Brodie figured tonight wasn't that night. They stepped outside in the cool, crisp evening air. The wide covered porch had always been one of Brodie's favorite places at the ranch. He offered his arm, and Londyn stuck her hand through it and hobbled outside with him, where they took a seat on the porch bench.
Stars glittered overhead in the clear night, such a change from the previous night's storm. The porch light cast a soft glow on Londyn's face. Even with the bandage and the bruising, she wasbeautiful. But the injuries broke his heart. Why would anyone want to hurt her?
During their dating days, she would rest her head on his shoulder, and he would tug her close, brushing a kiss across her forehead, her nose, and finally her full lips. Brodie instinctively reached for her hand, then pulled away. She'd made her feelings clear the day she left. There was no sense in tormenting himself with another round of rejection. So instead, he clasped his hands in his lap and stared out over the immediate driveway and front yard. To the right was the bench that he, Roarke, and Grayson had constructed on a piece of concrete in honor of Danny's memory. Mom had planted several pots of flowers to stick on either side.
“I think often about Danny,” said Londyn.
“Yeah, me too. There are days when I can't believe he's gone. It was always the four of us.”
Londyn nodded. She would know exactly what he was talking about because she'd been there for much of those growing-up days. He turned to face her, and the wind had blown some of her hair across her cheek. He instinctively reached over and gently tucked it behind her ear. Her nearness brought about a copious amount of thoughts and emotions. He wanted to lace his fingers through hers, tell her they could get through whatever it was that had come between them. That if she only wanted friendship for the rest of their lives, he’d be okay with that.
Only he wasn’t.
Pain squeezed his heart, even as it pounded heavily in his chest as he sat beside her, their upper arms touching.
He held her gaze for a moment, searching her face, searching her heart, searching her thoughts. Yeah, Roarke would tell him he was a romantic sap, but what he wouldn't give to know why she left the way she had.
But he may never know, and for now, he’d be content spending time with her, even in silence.
Chapter 14
Londyn’s follow-up appointment with her primary care doctor at the Pronghorn Falls Clinic the following week couldn’t come quickly enough. She couldn’t wait for the go-ahead to be able to drive and, hopefully, begin looking for a job, even if that employment was working from the ranch until Dustin had been arrested.
Which she knew would happen at some point. The man wasn’t invincible—although he might think he was.
“I wish I could take you, but I have to be in Lyleville this morning,” said Brodie.
“I don’t anticipate anything happening. Dustin doesn’t know I have a follow-up appointment.”
Her statement seemed to appease Brodie. “Roarke and Mila are out of town and won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“I can take her,” said Aileen. “I have an eye appointment, and it’s in the medical complex just a few doors down from the clinic.”
Brodie vacillated his attention from Aileen to Londyn, then back to Aileen. “All right.”
While she appreciated Aileen's offer to take her, Londyn wanted to do nothing to put the woman who’d become like a mom to her in jeopardy. “I’ll reschedule.”
Aileen shook her head. “It’ll be fine, and you need to be checked out for the concussion.”
Three hours later, Londyn and Aileen drove in the rain to what would soon be a cluster of one-story buildings that resembled a cleaner and larger strip mall. A lot had changed even in the time Londyn had been away. The clinic was formerly housed in the hospital, and the eye doctor, dentist’s office, and chiropractor, who now had offices in the complex, were formerly disbursed throughout town.
More trees had been planted in a common park area, and the town had removed a dilapidated structure and added more parking. Stationary heavy equipment, including a skid steer and backhoe, remained parked on the site, temporarily stalled due to the weather.
