Page 64 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

Braxton shook his head and headed out the back door. Regardless of what was or wasn’t going on with Liam and Macy, maybe this was good for him. Perhaps he’d be back in the game of life. He was showing more feelings, anger and rage, but hey, that was progress. He kept too much bottled inside.

As Braxton slid in behind the wheel of his SUV, he wondered about the secret Cora was keeping. Whatever it was, he hoped she trusted him enough to let him in. And, he realized, in Cora’s world is where he wanted to be.

But if he was allowed access to hers, did that mean she’d have full access to his? Because the world he came from wasn’t all sunshine and puppy dogs. Braxton wasn’t sure if he was ready to let anyone in on that ugliness . . . let alone the woman he was falling for.

* * *

Braxton was just about to knock on the back door of Cora’s house when a piercing scream from the inside had him jiggling the knob only to find it locked. He didn’t think twice as he gave a swift kick at just the right spot and had the door springing open.

A small flame licked the sides of a pan on the stove and Cora stood back, clutching her arm.

Braxton surveyed the area quickly before jerking the pan off the stove, tossing it and the contents into the sink, and turning off the burner.

His weapon in slapping out the tiny flame was a half-burned towel with dark, jagged edges sitting next to the stove. Finally, once the fire was out, he tossed the towel into the sink, too, and turned to Cora.

Her skin had lost all color and her wide, unblinking eyes stared in his direction.

Slowly he crossed to h

er, trying to see the damage to the arm she still clutched against her body.

“Let me see,” he told her softly. “Did you get burned?”

She nodded, biting down on her lip as her chin quivered. Braxton took hold of her fingers and extended her arm where an ugly red-and-purple burn had marred her forearm.

“Let’s get some cold water on this.” He gently eased her over to the sink. “I’ve got you.”

He turned on the water and flinched just as she did when the cold made contact with her skin. “Sorry, baby. I know it hurts.”

Once he was satisfied with the amount of coolness to the burn, he turned off the water and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Why don’t you go sit on the couch and I’ll find something else to put on that.”

She said nothing as he led her to the living room, Heidi obediently at their side. As soon as she collapsed onto the couch, Cora tipped her head down and attempted to hide the fact she was crying, but her shaking shoulders and unsteady breath tipped him off. Braxton knelt down in front of her.

“I know it hurts,” he told her, stroking her good arm with his thumb. “I’m going to get something to help take that edge off.”

“No,” she whispered. Braxton studied her, watching as she tried to compose herself. “It’s not the pain. I just . . . what if they were right?”

Using the pad of his thumb, Braxton swiped her damp cheeks and smoothed her hair away from her face. “Who was right about what?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t live alone.” Her defeated tone crushed him. “Damn it, I don’t want to be dependent, but I can’t even make a stupid grilled cheese.”

No way was he letting her beat herself up over this. “It was an accident,” he told her, squeezing her hand. “The towel was too close to the burner. It could’ve happened to me or anyone else.”

Her wet eyes stared straight ahead, directly at him. “But it didn’t. Now all I’ve done is prove that living alone is harder than I thought. What if you hadn’t been here? What if I’d stepped away for a moment? The entire wall could’ve gone up in flames and all because I’m running away and being stubborn.”

Braxton eased up onto the couch beside her and pulled her into his arms. “You’re stubborn, yes, but you’re also human. Accidents are going to happen. Even if I’d been here, that towel could’ve still caught fire.”

But maybe it wouldn’t have and she wouldn’t be hurt. Damn it, he didn’t want her injured, and he sure as hell didn’t want her to doubt her ability to live a normal life without a keeper. He’d never seen her defeated, he’d never experienced a lack of confidence.

“I’m just having a bad day.” She pushed away from him and pulled in a deep breath. “I talked with my mother this morning and we actually had a good talk, but—”

“You’re feeling guilty,” he finished, noting the tone in her voice.

Cora nodded. “I’ve done so well through the years of ignoring her jabs, but she thinks I’ve just deserted them. Understandably, she’s worried about the future of her business. I get it, I really do. I just wish she would try to grasp where I’m coming from too.”

“Why don’t you invite her to the open house next week?” he asked, a little shocked the idea came to him so quickly. “Have both of your parents see where you’ll be working, show them your house and how well you’re—”

She was shaking her head. “Absolutely not. I don’t want my parents here. I don’t want them to meet . . .”

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