Page 59 of Let Me Be the One
To keep herself busy, Callie headed out to the detached garage to see the car that Tanner had mentioned. If he thought Liam could use it, she’d be more than happy to give it to him. She had no need of a second car. Her red Ford Escape was still fairly new.
Weeds had grown up around the outside of the wooden building, though the apron and foundation were concrete.Her gravel driveway, running along the side of the house, led right up to it, except that a fence had been installed to keep the goats in the yard. To use the garage, she’d have to get out and open the gate, then drive through and get out again to close the gate.
She wasn’t at all sure it was worth the effort. However, the storage would be nice. Circling the building, she checked it out from every angle. It appeared sturdy but in need of fresh paint and, like the rest of the property, a good cleaning.
The afternoon sunlight couldn’t penetrate the grimy windows on two walls. On the third wall, she found a regular entry door, but it was locked. The wide garage door wasn’t, but it was surprisingly heavy. She struggled to get it halfway open, then levered her shoulder under it—a mistake, given how dirty it was—and used her legs to lift.
Just as she heard a car door in her driveway, she also saw movement from the corner of her eye. Barely maintaining her hold on the door, she looked into the dim interior, and she saw something slither.
That something was asnake!
Screeching, Callie stumbled back. The garage door landed with a loud bang, and she landed on her butt. She didn’t stay put though, still screeching, she shot to her feet and turned to run.
Right into Sutter.
His arms automatically went around her. “Callie?”
She screamed again, this time—at least partially—in frustration. But hey, a snake was near and she was determined to find safety, even if that meant with her ex. She tried to duck behind him, but he was laughing, hugging her.
He said, “I missed you too, honey.”
Turning so she could see the garage, meant turning Sutter as well, since he continued to hold her, but she got them both shifted around. Going on tiptoe, bracing her hands on his shoulders, Callie looked behind him, relieved that no snakes were in sight, at least not that she’d spotted yet. That didn’t mean one wasn’t near, though. The thing had seemed huge. Long and black and… She almost screamed again.
Sutter kissed her hair, then her cheek, before embracing her tightly and turning her in a half circle. “God, I’m so glad to see you. I should have known coming here was the right thing, that you’ve missed me too. But with the way you walked out on me… I wanted to give you time to realize that it was a mistake to leave.”
Wait—what? She pressed him back, and then, just beyond him, saw the frozen faces of Tanner and a young man. Liam, she assumed.
Sutter cupped her face. “Tell me you missed me.”
“No.” Damn it, Tanner would definitely get the wrong impression. She’d only grabbed Sutter because… Remembering the snake, she looked around wildly again, this time spotting it in the grass.
Screaming once more, she ran to Tanner. “Snake.Huge. It came out of the garage.”
With a fierce frown, he set her aside and started forward for a closer look.
“Tanner, no!” With both hands, Callie caught the back of his shirt. “It could be poisonous.”
“Venomous,” he corrected, already stopping when he spotted it. “That’s a rat snake. Big, yeah, but harmless.”
Liam jogged forward. “I’ll get it.”
“Good Lord.” Callie seriously thought she might faint.She tucked her face against Tanner’s back, unable to watch. What a terrible impression she was making on his young friend, screaming and carrying on. She hid anyway.
That is, until she heard Sutter’s voice, much closer now, demanding, “Who the hell are you?”
“Neighbor,” Tanner said, his tone flat but not antagonistic. “I take it you’re Sutter?”
Callie peeked out to see Liam disappearing in the woods, his hands full of—gulp—snake.
Sutter smiled widely. “She’s talked about me?” His gaze moved to Callie and he opened his arms. “Come here, babe.”
“Ah, no.” But she couldn’t continue to cower behind Tanner or that might cause strife while, currently, there was none. At least, not between the men. The “insta-rage” Tanner had exhibited for the Garmets was thankfully absent now. “You shouldn’t be here, Sutter. If you had called first, I would have told you that.”
“Callie,” he said, his tone mildly chiding, almost playful. “I know how stubborn you are. You wouldn’t have answered.”
“So instead you just show up?”
He waggled his fingers in a “gimme” gesture. “Let me hold you again.”
