“I haven’t been called Creedy in a long time and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Hmm,” she moaned deep in her throat. “Old habits die hard.”
“You didn’t answer me about the shirt.” He strolled over and looked down into the box. An invisible fist rammed into his stomach. She was going to burn the pictures taken of them together. The memories they’d shared. Like they were nothing but trash. Anger slipped through him.
“You can have it back.”
She threw the shirt and he caught it against his chest. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought we were passed that. I’m visiting. Is there a fine for that too?” She looked down her nose at him.
Acid rushed in his blood while desire assaulted his body. They were no longer the same two people. Life had changed for them both. He’d moved on and she couldn’t affect him the same way she once did. “Not unless you’re committing a crime, like burning and putting my town at risk.”
She giggled and he wasn’t sure what he’d said that was so humorous. “If I remember correctly you sure didn’t have any trouble breaking the law back when we were kids. How many times did you sneak off with Mr. Delaware’s eggs? Or all the times we toilet papered Mr. Hahn’s trees.”
This was exactly what he’d been trying to tell Livvy. No matter how many years passed, the past always had a way of coming back. This time, it came and smacked him hard across the face. “I’ve grown up since then. We both have.” He allowed his gaze to travel downward on her slender body. What was she now? Thirty-seven? Thirty-eight? She didn’t look a day over thirty, but something in those pensive eyes told him she’d been hurt a time or two which made her wiser. Lord, he understood completely.
What had she been up to?
He didn’t need to know. He couldn’t slide back into caring for her—couldn’t let her see the journey he’d traveled to forget her. “So you’re visiting. Does that mean you’ll be leaving soon?” He swiped off his hat and pounded it against his thigh. The temperature had risen, and his clothes felt too tight. It was that damn fire he’d put out. Unfortunately, he still had a blaze inside his body.
One corner of her lips quirked. “Wow, is this the welcome home party? Cooper’s Hawk has really gone downhill with their welcomes.”
He chuckled, not allowing her to ruffle his feathers any more than she already had just by seeing her. “I’m sure you’d think so. We’re probably too hillbilly for the likes of someone that drives that Beemer in the driveway. But I see you found those cowgirl shorts.” He narrowed his gaze on the faded denim a little longer than he should have.
She inhaled deeply. “You don’t know me.”
“And you don’t know me! Not that it matters. Abide by the law while you’re in town,” he said.
“As if I’m a law breaker. Are you done threatening me?” Her lips tightened.
“Sweetheart, I don’t make threats. Don’t think you can waltz back into this town and start stirring up trouble. Times have changed.”
“Do you call your wife sweetheart too or just those you’ve screwed and forgotten?”
“My mistake. Maybe I should call you Mrs. Newland,” he growled. Anger swished through his blood like dragon’s breath.
A flash of awareness washed over her expression but disappeared once the screen door came rattling open.
“I thought I heard voices out here.” Rusty interrupted the heated battle. He looked from each of them and chuckled. “I see you two are still pickling each other’s gardens. Come inside and have dinner, Creed. Mindy’s making a chicken dish in celebration.”
Her mouth fell open and some of her tan disappeared. “He can’t stay.”
“I can’t?” Creed smirked.
“He can’t?” Rusty muttered.
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re busy building fences.” Her bottom lip trembled.
Who did she think she was? In town less than a week and already trying to tell him what to do. The hell with that. “In fact, I do have some time.” He grinned, feeling vindicated when she bared her teeth. Why did it feel so good to see her feathers ruffled?
She turned on her bare feet and stomped inside, but not before he got another good look at her long legs and firm bottom encased in pocketless denim. He felt his lungs slam into his stomach. Maybe he should leave. Hit the road while the gettin’ was good. He didn’t need the chaos added to his already full plate.
“Come on, Creed. Let’s get in there before she burns our food out of spite.” Rusty’s laughter mingled with the crickets chirping in the distance.
Stepping through the doorway, he inhaled savory home cooking and his stomach growled. The Mindy he knew couldn’t boil a pot of water let alone make something delicious.
Placing his hat on the eagle hook by the door, he swiped his boots off on the spiked welcome rug and glanced over at Mindy who was standing at the stove stirring a pot. It didn’t look like water. Rusty was grabbing beer from the refrigerator.
“Want one?”
Yeah, he did. “I’d better have a bottle of water if that’s okay.” Creed reminded himself that he had to be at Livvy’s school later that evening. He didn’t think showing up with alcohol on his breath was a good way to enter the parent teacher conference.
“How’s your mother?” Rusty handed Creed a water.
He only caught the last few words of the question because he’d been ogling Mindy who was noisily pounding a wooden spoon against the edge
