She's Far From Hollywood

The band was a few songs into their third set when Mark stepped down from the stage and took her hand, tugging her to her feet. He pulled her in and started to sing a sweet love song, “Hey, Pretty Girl,” right to her. She laughed and leaned into him, suddenly feeling the effects of all the wine she’d had. Mark was singing just inches from her face. She reached out and put her hand on his arm. His blue eyes darkened.

Tammy jumped to her feet at the exact same moment Mark looked over Bree’s shoulder and his eyes went wide. The energy in the room tipped from relaxed to highly charged in the blink of an eye. Before she could turn her head to see what was happening, hard hands grabbed her waist from behind. She knew who it was without looking, but she had no idea what Cole Caldwell was doing here.

He tugged her back against his hard body and spoke to Mark, who’d stopped singing. “Sorry, Mark, this one’s mine.” She wasn’t sure if he meant the dance or her, and neither made any sense. For one tense moment she was afraid there was going to be a fight, but no. Mark smiled slowly and shrugged his shoulders, raising his hands in surrender.

“I didn’t know, man. It’s good to see you, Cole. Damned good to see you.” He stepped back to the stage and Bree spun in Cole’s arms, ready to give him a piece of her mind for being such a caveman. As she opened her mouth, Mark addressed the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a big round of applause to our very own Cole Caldwell, a genuine war hero. It’s been way too long since we’ve seen him here with his friends.”

The tension grew in Cole’s eyes as everyone started to clap their hands and cheer. His jaw was tight, and a muscle in his cheek was pulsing dangerously. She started to ask what was wrong, but this time was interrupted by Amber, who’d suddenly appeared at their side, cooing at Cole.

“Oh, honey, it’s wonderful to see you out. And you look so good...” She started to reach her hand toward him and he flinched. Bree moved between them and faced Amber.

“Amber, you need to walk away.”

Amber ignored her, and her hand continued its path and brushed across Cole’s shoulder. Bree heard his sharp intake of breath and felt another surge of defensiveness.

“Didn’t you hear? Cole just told Mark that I was his, so why don’t you run along...” Cole’s fingers dug into her side, and she leaned back against him. Amber pulled her hand back, but Bree suspected it was only so she could strike out at her. She braced for it but kept her expression calm. It wouldn’t be her first cat fight in public; the only thing missing was the cameras.

“Amber!” Ty swept up and wrapped his arm around the brunette’s waist, pulling her away with a laugh. “You haven’t danced with me all night, girl, and I love this song.” He sent a sharp look to Mark, who immediately picked up the song he’d been crooning to Bree minutes ago. Amber was caught off guard and allowed herself to be drawn away, leaving Bree and Cole standing in front of the stage. Other couples came onto the floor. Anxious to get through Cole’s wall of silence, she arched a brow, forcing herself to smile.

“Well, Cole, my dance card’s been pretty full all night, but I guess I can make time to dance with my neighbor. Shall we?” She put her left hand on his shoulder and held up her right hand for him to take. He seemed baffled, but silently took her hand and pulled her close. She couldn’t read his expression. Confusion? Anger? Why on earth was he here?

His eyes never left hers, even when other people patted him on the back and told him how good it was to see him. They seemed genuinely surprised and happy at his presence, but he paid them no attention. He just stared at her as they moved to the music. His body was tight with tension under her fingertips.

Looking into his eyes made her dizzy. She closed her own to regain her equilibrium, and her fingers absently traced the rough scars that scrolled under the dark tattoos on his arm. No wonder the tats had seemed three-dimensional.

When she opened her eyes, Cole was still staring as he moved her across the floor. She felt a sudden urge to sink her fingers into his thick, tobacco-colored hair. This was crazy. She tried to pull away, but he wasn’t letting go. The song came to an end, and still he didn’t release her. She needed to free him from whatever demons were holding him there, immobile in the center of the dance floor.

“So...your ex-fiancée seems nice.” She used the sarcasm lightly, hoping to coax a crooked smile from him. His left brow rose.

“I’m curious how you know her name.” Ah. The man speaks at last.

“Hey, she approached me. Marking her territory or something. It’s a girl thing.”

“And she just blurted out that she used to be engaged to me?”

Bree shook her head. “No, your niece filled in the blanks.”

His head tipped to the side and he looked at her as if she were a puzzle that he hadn’t quite figured out. His shoulders were just beginning to relax when an older man walked over and grabbed his hand, pumping it up and down.

“Thank you for your service, Colton. You did a damn fine job over there, and you represented Russell well, son. It ain’t your fault those others died. You did the best you could.”

Cole’s eyes closed slowly, and his words came through clenched teeth.

“If I’d done the best I could, they’d all be alive now.”

The old man looked at Bree sadly, shook his head and walked away.

* * *

COLE GROUND HIS teeth together and held his eyes tightly closed, working hard to keep what was left of his composure. The phone call from Nell that evening had caught him completely unprepared. He figured she was going to tell him one of the cows had dropped a calf. Instead, she needed another favor. Nell rarely asked for favors, especially at ten o’clock on a Saturday night.

“Honey, I was going to go back into town to pick up Bree, but I’m just not feeling well. Do you think you could drive to The Hide-Away and bring her home?”

“What do you mean, you don’t feel well?” Nell Patterson never admitted to illness or injury. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”